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demonslayr62 Describing characters is not my strong suit, either. I showed someone my rough draft of a different WIP and they complained that 30 pages in, all they knew about anyone's appearance was that one person had blue hair. Oops. XD
So for my current WIP I made it my mission to work on better descriptions! Not sure how well I'm doing but I've been alternating between sprinkling things in and short paragraphs. I've been keeping a document of all character descriptors I've used, so I can see what the reader actually knows about how a character looks.
Maybe this will help, maybe it won't, but some examples of when I did use paragraph form in my WIP:
He wasn’t the most handsome man to ever ask her to dance, his dark hair too mussed, his nose too long, his freckles uneven across the bridge of his nose. Nor was his interested smirk unique among the circles she tended to cultivate around her, but there was a glint in his hazel eyes that struck her.
-~-
While there were few cues Anise could take from her outfit, the woman approaching her was clearly nobility. Her hair was cut in a sharp bob that ended just above her shoulders, aside from her bangs which were tightly braided around the top of her head. The gray streaks in her hair and the faint wrinkle lines along her cheekbones and forehead suggested age, but the vibrance in her eyes was that of a much younger woman. Her gaze held a similar intensity to the king’s, but whereas the king’s had felt like he was trying to to root out her secrets, this woman’s made Anise feel like she’d already told all.
-~-
Anise strode down the carpeted path, eyes on the man seated at the end of the room. Cass eyed him as well, taking in his cropped dark hair and equally tamed beard. He filled the throne in a way only a man who had seen few days of hard work could, exuding enough overconfidence to make Cass’s stomach churn with disgust.
His dark eyes were on Anise, unsettling in the intensity of their focus.
Here are some other, fun possibilities!
Height:
- Character A has to look up/down at B while talking to them
- Character A hits their head off a low beam that C walked right under
Body type:
- The group sends Character D through a narrow gap in the wall because they're the only one who can fit.
- Character C is given someone else's clothes and can't fit into them because they're too hefty
@
demonslayr62 Describing characters is not my strong suit, either. I showed someone my rough draft of a different WIP and they complained that 30 pages in, all they knew about anyone's appearance was that one person had blue hair. Oops. XD
So for my current WIP I made it my mission to work on better descriptions! Not sure how well I'm doing but I've been alternating between sprinkling things in and short paragraphs. I've been keeping a document of all character descriptors I've used, so I can see what the reader actually knows about how a character looks.
Maybe this will help, maybe it won't, but some examples of when I did use paragraph form in my WIP:
He wasn’t the most handsome man to ever ask her to dance, his dark hair too mussed, his nose too long, his freckles uneven across the bridge of his nose. Nor was his interested smirk unique among the circles she tended to cultivate around her, but there was a glint in his hazel eyes that struck her.
-~-
While there were few cues Anise could take from her outfit, the woman approaching her was clearly nobility. Her hair was cut in a sharp bob that ended just above her shoulders, aside from her bangs which were tightly braided around the top of her head. The gray streaks in her hair and the faint wrinkle lines along her cheekbones and forehead suggested age, but the vibrance in her eyes was that of a much younger woman. Her gaze held a similar intensity to the king’s, but whereas the king’s had felt like he was trying to to root out her secrets, this woman’s made Anise feel like she’d already told all.
-~-
Anise strode down the carpeted path, eyes on the man seated at the end of the room. Cass eyed him as well, taking in his cropped dark hair and equally tamed beard. He filled the throne in a way only a man who had seen few days of hard work could, exuding enough overconfidence to make Cass’s stomach churn with disgust.
His dark eyes were on Anise, unsettling in the intensity of their focus.
Here are some other, fun possibilities!
Height:
- Character A has to look up/down at B while talking to them
- Character A hits their head off a low beam that C walked right under
Body type:
- The group sends Character D through a narrow gap in the wall because they're the only one who can fit.
- Character C is given someone else's clothes and can't fit into them because they're too hefty
@
LaraAelric Ah! Thank you so much for the advice and examples! I actually have a little bit worked out for when a new character is introduced:
In a stereotypical teen high school movie the jock, Alex, wouldn't even bother to look twice at the bizarre new kid who wore the unicorn rainbow backpack with cartoon characters dangling off the zippers. However, something ignited inside Alex's brain that clearly said, "Hey! HEY! that kid, watch her." So that's exactly what she planned to do.
It's not much, but after this I plan on having said new kid introduce herself and while she does so, Alex will continue to make observations about her.
There're still a few other major characters that need introduction and I'm working hard and trying to figure out how to do so and your advice will very much help!
@
LaraAelric Ah! Thank you so much for the advice and examples! I actually have a little bit worked out for when a new character is introduced:
In a stereotypical teen high school movie the jock, Alex, wouldn't even bother to look twice at the bizarre new kid who wore the unicorn rainbow backpack with cartoon characters dangling off the zippers. However, something ignited inside Alex's brain that clearly said, "Hey! HEY! that kid, watch her." So that's exactly what she planned to do.
It's not much, but after this I plan on having said new kid introduce herself and while she does so, Alex will continue to make observations about her.
There're still a few other major characters that need introduction and I'm working hard and trying to figure out how to do so and your advice will very much help!
@
demonslayr62 That's neat! It'll be fun seeing more from Alex's perspective to reveal what's pinging her radar.
@
demonslayr62 That's neat! It'll be fun seeing more from Alex's perspective to reveal what's pinging her radar.
Hey y'all, question! How do you figure out pricing for your lore? I'm new to it and don't know where to start. I'm essentially buying fodder and giving them lore - not sure what I should be charging...
Hey y'all, question! How do you figure out pricing for your lore? I'm new to it and don't know where to start. I'm essentially buying fodder and giving them lore - not sure what I should be charging...
tundra monolair (except when i'm not)
