I’m a delightfully odd bean in that I don’t imagine characters when I’m reading. They are basically blobs of facelessness, with maybe a feature or two that sticks to my puny brain whilst devouring the book. Like if there’s an emphasis on curly hair? The character will be a BLOB FACE + CURLY HAIR. It’s all very elegant and professional in my head, honestly.
I’ve talked about my inability to visualise faces before, but today I have a slightly different question. Because I’m full of questions. You love that about me.
Is it even a GOOD THING when authors spend a lot of time describing characters?
For me, who royally sucks at imagining faces, you think I’d want more description, right? RIGHT? WELL…I’m torn about it honestly. Without description and details, I do have the ability to think what I want. Even though there’s no outright FACE in my imagination, I still often give characters various ethnicities or features even if it’s not stated. It’s freeing to think about a character anyway you want.
But at the same time? It’s no fun when characters aren’t described AT ALL and are just…there.
So obviously we need a pros and cons list, right? RIIIIGHT. Oh I knew you’d agree.
P R O S
- FOR THOSE WHO DO VISUALISE, IT’S KIND OF A BIG DEAL, RIGHT? If you’re the kind of reader that likes to fancast and visualise…it’s kind of a big deal! You need somewhere to start!
- LOOKS CAN BE DEFINING FOR CHARACTERS AND MAKE THEM DIMENSIONAL AND COMPLEX. Because if you have long hair, honestly? It is part of your entire life. Yes, I had long hair once. It strangles you in your sleep. It gets in your food. (Seriously: THIS IS THE WORST.) You spend a lot of time attacking it with a brush. Those kind of descriptions are excellent in books, because it brings characters off the page! Same as saying the character has freckles, a crooked nose, red demon eyes, etc… It’s character building.
- SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO IF YOU WANT TO BREAK THE DEFAULTS. I’m sure this isn’t true for everyone’s thinking, but often the default is: white. I think this is partially because movies and media so often fail at presenting diversity. And if you don’t describe someone in a book, odds are they’ll be assumed white. This really frustrates me, because it’s unfair and illogical…merp. Also, FYI, according to my genius google researches, white/Europeans make up 5% of the population. Um…who is the minority here?! LITERATURE: GET ON THIS.
- FANDOMS WILL LOVE YOU MORE. Because it is hard to be an artist and have no descriptions to work with. Actually it’s freaking hard to be an artist. Whyyyyy is art so hard? IT’D BE EASIER TO BE A PIRATE, TO BE HONEST. But I digress.
- IT GIVES THOSE OF US WITH HORRIBLE IMAGINATIONS SOMETHING TO GO ON. Like moi. Precious moi, who is like “Oh this character is so cute! They look like…a…cute smudge?” Ergo I am grateful when an author leaves tidbits that I can clumsily piece together.
- THEY’RE GOOD FOR BREAKING STEREOTYPES. Because if I say “pirate” you’re going to think of an eye-patch and a wooden leg and that’s not fair to all pirates. Some pirates have wooden arms or whatnot. A great way to break stereotypes is to describe the characters.
C O N S
- READERS ARE NEVER EVER GOING TO FULLY AGREE. I’ve looked at fancast boards for books I love and just…nope. Even if I don’t particularly imagine the characters, they STILL DON’T LOOK LIKE THAT.
- MOVIE MAKING PEOPLE ARE STILL GOING TO IGNORE IT. Haaa…I mean, did Divergent not specifically say Four was 18 years old with black hair? I don’t know about you but Theo James doesn’t fit either of those categories. We won’t talk about the Percy Jackson movies and Annabeth right now….WE JUST WON’T.
- IT CAN BE TEDIOUS TO READ ABOUT. I mean, some books are really insecure about their descriptions, so they make sure to tell us that “Gorgeous ethereal Bob has azure blue eyes like the sea in the autumn equinox” over and over and ooooooover. And it makes you want to stab Bob’s eyes out with a spork, basically. Or maybe only I am that violent. Let’s hope.
- NOT TO MENTION SOME DESCRIPTIONS ARE REALLY UNREALISTIC?
I don’t actually blame people for writing books were mostly everyone is gorgeous. I get the whys. I’m not saying it’s right!! But I understand. Plus it’s fiction and fiction isn’t supposed to be 100% realistic. But I find it irritating when teenage boys are built like Adonises (despite never working out????) and everyone has such stunningly colourful eyes. Like maybe I’M JUST THE WEIRD ONE HERE, but when you bump into someone, do you really notice the precise shade of their eyes??? Because book characters always do. - IF YOU DON’T DESCRIBE, THEN YOU LEAVE THE BOOK OPEN TO INTERPRETATION. Which is nice, I think. Those with imagination can do what they want.
- WITHOUT COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF DESCRIPTION, YOU CAN INSERT YOURSELF INTO A STORY EASILY. It allows us to make characters more relatable to us. Like 90% of book characters (unless specified) to me are small, smaaaall, beans. Because I am a small bean.
It obviously boils down to what YOU like and prefer. Like everything does. BECAUSE WE ARE ALL SECRETLY LOKI AND DO WHAT WE WANT. But, that aside, I’m interested to gather the opinions of humans and mortals such as yourselves. Because comparing opinions is like one of the best part of blogging, right?!
Personally? I’m for less-is-more when it comes to character description. I want some, but not a TON. I want to know what race they are and their height and if their hair is awesome. (I have a mild hair obsession which is not helped by Jon Snow’s pretty flowing locks.) I want to know how they view themselves. I want them to be realistic and not super-models.
And if I read a book with like only 2% character descriptions? I’M OKAY WITH THAT. Entirely okay. Get into the story and action and witty banter and descriptions of glorious food instead. PLEASE AND THANK YOU.
It depends? Like, if someone just infodumps about what their character looks like, then it’s annoying aaaaand I can tell they must have used a character sheet and they’re just transferring everything from that page into the beginning of that story/the part of the story where that character is introduced.
I usually do like to know a little about what the characters look like, though. Of course, sometimes I choose to ignore those descriptions, and sometimes I imagine the characters as their movie versions instead.
Sometimes just a little description does the trick – I think Cersei looks PERFECT on Game of Thrones, despite the fact that we were never given very specific descriptions of her looks in ASOIAF. Like, I think we knew she had long, beautiful golden hair and a pretty face and that she looked like Jaime? And that was pretty much it.
Do you follow/read Jessica @ Bookish Serendipity? 😀 She wrote a post just like this a few months ago and this post made me remember that one! http://bookishserendipityco.ipage.com/discussion-the-problem-with-character-descriptions/
omg I do not follow Jessica. But now I feel bad!! (But seriously I didn’t know she wrote a post on this topic. :P)
Aaanyway, info dumps are definitely a no no. I think it’s better when it’s all woven in? But when I see a movie I totally just imagine the character as the actor. 😂 THERE IS NO GOING BACK AFTER A MOVIE. I think the GoT cast is really rather great, too! My only weird moment was that I’d seen a few pictures before I watched it and I thought Cersei’s actor was actually Catelyn’s. I KNOW. THAT’S SO WRONG. 😂😂 And now Cersei couldn’t be anyone but Cersei but yeah. THAT HAPPENED.
I’m with you on the less is more, but people who’ve beta’d my novels before are all like “but how do they look like???” because my answer is just, “um, human? CHINESE I GUESS.” I try to make any character descriptions also serve another function like describing the colourful eyes dim out when I murder a character. Mwahahaha. I don’t pay a LOT of attention to character descriptions, and I don’t imagine protagonists to look like myself because I’m rather a bit too Chinese for most protagonists. Sigh.
HAHA THAT IS ME TOO. Although I feel like I tried fairly hard in Tremolo. 0_0 BUT OTHERWISE I REALLY SUCK. I only ever describe hair because I love hair…hair is freaking gorgeous.
Like just look at Jon Snow’s omg. But I think it’s more interesting, too, when the description is like woven into the story and not ever info-dumped. *nods* And of course you like describing their eyes after murder. You are so wonderful. NEVER CHANGE.I never imagine a characters with faces or skin for that matter. I just imagine something that the author has given note to, like hair colour or type or the charcters body shape. Never anything else. So I never really know if a character is a POC or soemthing like that.. How the character looks never really bothers me.
Thank you
Fair enough!! I kind of imagine skin and hair??? But body shape is handy to know. BUT FACES OMG I JUST DON’T IMAGINE FACES EVER AT ALL.
YES, YES, YES, CAIT I NEED CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS. I always feel SO in the minority when I say this: but I love, love, love description. Some of my favourite authors are the ones who describe a lot. Especially characters. I love to picture them PERFECTLY. But, on the other hand, it can sometimes be nice when writer’s leave their characters’ appearance up to the reader’s imagination.
OKAY YOU CAN COME AND WRITE ALL MY CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS FOR ME, OKAY?! OKAY. Because I suck at putting them into my stories. hehe. I kind of like when an author trusts the reader to come up with the descriptions? But I like SOMETHING to go off. Not just a completely clean slate.
MEEEERP. I’m so unsure! I kinda have the same problem, not picturing people with real faces, but it’s only some of the time. Sometimes I can REALLY visualize someone’s face… like Rowan from ToG. He is sooo amazing to draw. 😎
AHH BUT YOU’RE AN ARTIST SO THAT MAKES SENSE. 😂 I basically can only envision their hair. So my brain is populated with blob-faced characters with fabulous hair.
Less is more is the way I like it too. I’m not massively bothered what they look like, but rather what they do.
I want just enough to get a sense of the character, but then I want to get onto the story. Such as Harry Potter can be defined by messy, brown hair, Green eyes, a lightening bolt scar and spectacles. For me, the rest of his character is built up by his actions.
I also suck at visualizing characters. I just re-read the first Harry Potter book and, even though the characters look like the actors from the movies, I still couldn’t visualize them while reading. I’m a fast reader and gobble books up so I have to wonder if it’s that as I know some people who read slow in order to really absorb the story. WHO KNOWS?!
yes oh yes I totally agree! Like just having one or two defining characteristics works perfectly fine too, because I think it sticks better. (As long as it’s not overly repeated…because that gets boring fast.)
I like character descriptions! It seems the standard thing to do is to describe hair and eye colour/sometimes shape, though, and that can get boring.
I’m not a hugely visual person, but when reading I need to get a picture of some sort of each character in my head, otherwise I can get the side characters completely mixed up! XD
YES. I prefer when that “standard” is broken, because who even really cares about the eyes!? I don’t think it’s even realistic how detailed the eyeball descriptions go. *sighs*
To be perfectly honest I sort of skip over character descriptions, because I really don’t care that much what they look like (unless it’s unusual). I don’t visualise characters either so character descriptions are just sort of meh to me. I’m more interested in who they are, not what they look like.
I feel like I do visualise characters in a way, but it’s never a physical thing. I visualise how they act and in the case of my many bookish boyfriends I visualise (*ahem* fantasize) how they will one day take me on an adventure where I get to maybe slay a dragon or battle pirates…. It doesn’t matter how me look because let’s be honest, slaying dragons is gonna ruin your hair, but I know that we will fight valiantly and be totally badass!
I’m not sure what happened there, but I hope it sort of made sense….
SAME. I don’t particularly care. 😂 I mean, I like to know ethnicity and hair type basically? But that’s about it, and the hair is only because I have that mild hair obsession. FABULOUS HAIR IS JUST FABULOUS. THAT IS ALL. hehe. Ahemmm.
This is the BANE of my reading life. I feel like I imagine faces perfectly whilst I’m reading – like they *do* have faced during the moments in which I am 100% immersed in the book. But if you asked me to then accurately describe or draw them for you they’d look like a stick figure.
The hardest thing for me is also remembering that for the sake of my sanity descriptions are important. I had a very frustrating moment a couple of years back where the main character, a girl who I’d been happily imagining as a brunette, flicks her PLATINUM BLONDE hair over her shoulder. This was the forth book in the series and my brain had to do a painful redo of the character’s image. Argh. Book characters always seem to be blonde but I always imagine brunettes, why??
The other thing I find frustrating is when there is no nice strong hint at the beginning of the book to say the character is not white, like you said. I always miss this with Asian characters because authors do the whole “almond shaped” eyes thing – what even is that? Because sometimes it means the character is of Asian decent and sometimes it doesn’t, both cases I end up confused. Like, JUST TELL ME STRAIGHT UP.
I think at the end of the day the most important thing for me is the description of expressions. Expressions that particular characters make are 90% of how I construct their face. 10% being stereotypes or actors because the movie ruined my imagination abilties. (Oh, the struggles of rereading Twilight).
On a side note, I’ve been stumped for days what “brass” hair colour is. Seriously. All I can think of is a musical instrument on someone’s head instead of hair *frustration*.
OMG I AGREE SO SO MUCH!!! Like I can’t really describe it? Like they have a face…but they don’t. They are blobs, but if I see fan art or a movie casting I’m like “WELL NO THAT WAS WRONG”😂
I have even read books were a character is described with those “almond” eyes but then IT TURNED OUT THEY WEREN’T ASIAN. SO I DON’T KNOW. I GIVE UP. I would prefer straight out telling too. hehe. Like I was reading The Game of Love and Death and I knew one character was African American, but omg, I thought it was the boy for like 50% of the book?!?! And then suddenly I realise I got it backwards and it’s the girl? SO YEAH. Bit of a descriptor fail there. *facepalm*
Oh, I absolutely can’t deal when there aren’t descriptions. I also kind of don’t imagine faces, but I still need to have some idea of what they look like. It frustrates me to no end when I spend 50 pages imaging a character with brown hair and then SURPISE they’re blonde. *cough* Miles from made you up *cough*. But it also can’t be info dumpy, or repetitive. Like, tell me once and I shall remember.
Basically I’m really picky. Yup.
OMG YES. I think descriptions need to come at the front, right?! Or else it totally throws you!! When I was reading Narnia as a kid, they honestly didn’t describe the characters until the freaking last page. ARGH. Way too late. It just makes everything weird.
Info dumpy and repetitive are just as bad. Bleh.
I like some character description, but I tend to forget it and imagine them some other way. But I rather dislike it when they won’t let you forget what a character looks like….. like in the Percy Jackson books…… seriously I am not going to forget their eye colours that fast! I was reminded of things like hair and eye colour way to often.
Yes, like it’s CONTINUALLY told you?! Every. single. chapter. aghhh. And honestly I read a book where it was said every time the character spoke! DROVE ME CRAZY. Like it was always “said so-and-so with the black hair” or whatever and I wanted to burn something. -_-
Hi Cait; I’m planning a return to the blogging scene, and so naturally your blog was the first I checked up on!
The discussion surrounding “character descriptions” is an enticing one: in my view, they can be extremely effective if they are used in the correct way. I probably land on the side of the spectrum with the horrible imagination, and so I do find it very helpful if the character is served to me on a silver platter so I don’t have to do any thinking of my own.
However, J.K Rowling’s recent shut down on twitter regarding the actress they hired to play Hermoine in the theatre production of HP SLAYED me. Now there’s an instance in which not revealing your predisposed character description is a good thing. I think I can teeter on the edge of liking character descriptions, but when you have a character pictured in your head (a somewhat rarity for me!) and then the movie casting director is like “hmmm… nope; let’s make him have red hair, and green eyes and look 62″… sigh!
Also, why do so many people have grey eyes in books?
*waves* WELCOME BACK THEN!! Aww and I’m honoured my blog was a first stop for you. :’) Seriously my day = MADE. hehe
I’m kind of really…not 100% okay with how JK Rowling goes about things at times? Like don’t get me wrong I love the books! I love that the new Hermione is black! I love that Dumbledore is gay! But I don’t think it’s fair for an author to just start adding in stuff later. Like she never said Hermione was black until it was convenient to her. So. eh. I think it’s a bit of a cop-out. BUT ANYWAY THAT IS OFF TOPIC. 😂
Agreed though! What’s up with the grey eyes?! I think grey is the new green?!
Ahaha Cait – great post!
I don’t visualise either – I just see stick figures haha xD
Or else if a movie has already come out – those movie characters just substitute.
Anywayyy – yep, there are definitely pros and cons to character descriptions. I think I take the same viewpoint as you – I fervently believe that less is more – sometimes it’s great for there to be some degree of freedom, so that readers can visualise whatever they want!
I totally inset the actors if there’s a movie about it.😂 Or even if I just KNOW there will be a movie, I might even insert those actors…but otherwise: BLOBS AND BLOBS. 😂
Hmmm, I’m actually not sure. Sometimes I like it when I get the full description on how a character looks but then again, if I really don’t agree with it, I wish there would’ve been less. IT’S SO HARD! Also, I hate it when authors make their characters PERFECT. Just nooooo. That’s the absolute worst for me, if I have to read a book where they constantly mention how gorgeous and perfect this guy/girl is. NO, DON’T DO THAT. EVER. I love when they have flaws, scars and little imperfections. It gives them character. A story. And also makes it easier for me to visualize them because yes, I LOVE imagining what characters look like and therefore I need SOME character descriptions … otherwise I’m so confused and don’t know what they should even look like. But please don’t dump all the information at me at once … there’s a WHOLE BOOK where you can talk about how everyone looks. If I get all the descriptions within the first few chapters I’ll most likely forget and will end up NOT knowing anything about it, ugh. 😀
The perfect-characters are really quite unrealistic anyway, right? I mean who looks like a supermodel when they’re a teen? TEENAGERS ARE GREASY AND GANGLY. THAT IS ALL. Ahem. And I love the flaws/imperfections more anyway (although why are they even flaws?!? They’re just US.) :’)
OMG this post was written FOR me haha! I agree with everything! I find it SOOO difficult to imagine characters past the “blob with hair” stage. And if there has been a movie adaption, I usually guiltily just insert the actors into my brain as the characters (exception: Percy Jackson) as having that image to go from makes it even MORE difficult to imagine my own version of the character. I often find myself skimming over excessively long character descriptions. And I often imagine myself as characters in books, sometimes it’s not even like putting my face on the character, it’s like they ARE me, if you get what I mean? Weird, I know haha. Great post!
WE ARE BLOBBY TWINS IN THIS THEN, ALLY MAY. *hi fives* If I see a movie I’m absolutely a gonner. I can’t imagine anything But the actors. (So you can imagine I’m dying right now with City of Bones because my brain says “movie or tv show”? and I fret about it forever. xD)
OMG AND I ABSOLUTELY GET WHAT YOU MEAN. THAT IS WHAT I MEANT TOO. Like I don’t put my face on the character, but I am the character?? I totally didn’t explain it very well in the post. BUT YOU GET ME.
I feel in between when it comes to character descriptions. I need to know what they look like – at least the basics: if they’re tall, short, ethnic and hair. But I end up picturing them the COMPLETE OPPOSITE sometimes. Adam, from The Raven Cycle, looks like a green-eyed version of Tyler Posey in my head, even though he was never described with mexican background. Cameron, from The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han is described as a nerdy and asian kid and I was already picturing him Korean and with FABULOUS EYELASHES. So I don’t think that describing a character stops someone from picturing them the way they prefer; I just think is helpful for the ones that NEED descriptions to know who the hell they’re reading about.
My main problem, though, is with the outfits. Why people never describe what their characters are wearing? Are they on a Valentino, Adidas or just a random shirt from Target? I believe that what someone wears describes a lot their innerself. And I don’t like picturing my characters naked.
Ohhh I totally get that. And tbh, I imagine Adam as blonde and sandy haired. 😂 I really think Maggie Stiefvater is awesome with her lack-of-description because it kind of makes one imagine ANYTHING THEY WANT. And I do so love that. (Although I wish she at least told us what ethnicity they all are?) AHem.
Bahah, I’m with you on the clothes! I’ve noticed a lot of commenter said they hate clothing descriptions, but I kind of like it?! It develops their character. Aka: ADAM’S FADED COCA COLA TEE SHIRT.
I’m like you. I enjoy character descriptions, but too much of it bores me out. I only tend to visualize the characters for whom I feel STRONGLY (whether it’s hate or love or pure frustration), but for others, I’d just like a couple of tidbits and I’ll be fine. I always want to know about the eyes and the hair, though. ESPECIALLY THE EYES. (And yes, when I bump into a person, his eyes are the first thing I notice about him. Right since I was born, I think.) To me, even if I don’t know anything about a character, I’ll think of them as the one with the brown eyes, or the one with the blue eyes (my absolute weakness), or the one with the green eyes.
So for me, azure like the sea in an autumn equinox is fine. Absolutely fine. BUT. I do NOT want it repeated a gajillion times, thank you very much. That will annoy the hell out of me.
I skim if it’s all info dumped at me. 😂 It gets boring so fast, right?! Tidbits are kind of good, because even if I don’t envision their face particularly…I still SORT OF know what they look like. Really, omg, but you notice the eyes?!? I NEVER NOTICE EYES.😂 I honestly didn’t even notice my sister had green/grey eyes until this year and I’ve known her for 22 years. I’M TERRIBLE.
To be honest, I finish almost every book with characters that barely have any specific features myself. I’m really not that fond of character descriptions because 97% of the time, I barely remember them. >.>
However, I do think they’re important though, especially for fan art or fancasting or people who just really want to imagine characters with specific features in their heads while reading a book. Though I admittedly just scroll through character descriptions – or any kind of description in general – it would still be nice to know what type of hair they have, or if they’re tall or not, what their ethnicity and/or skin tone is. At least simple things like those so I won’t have to guess how I should imagine every character to look like, xD
SAME! I mean if we don’t remember, then what does it even matter, right?!? 😛
And I don’t deny that it can be important to readers, so I’m not all like “NO DESCRIPTION EVER! HUZZAH!” I just really don’t care about it much myself. I just want to know like heigh and hair colour basically. Ethnicity is good too and like maybe body shape? But I’m not too picky on the last one. 😀
I’m feel the same about this as you. I like description but not too much of it. When reading a book I focus on the basic things like the hair colour, eyes, height… those kind of things. But I must say that I’m not a fan of straight description for example when a protagonist meets her love of her life and she spends five minutes describing his appearance. That just bores me and I usually tend to skip it. But if you give me just information about protagonist’s hair and his eyes, I’m good to go because I rather focus on his personality and also the description is not the same in my head. Eventually I’m going to imagine the character differently and the way I want him to look.
What I never understood truly is how a character can notice the colour of another character’s eyes when they are not standing like really close each other. I have problems to look people in the eye, not to mention to notice their colour. And writers tend to do the thing when the chacter has blue eyes for example but that’s just normal and aparently normal is boring so the writer will give them speckles of green or something like that. I would totallly not notice that kind of thing! Well, maybe I’m just ignorant or blind. 😀
As a writer I like to divide descriptions and give one small detail at a time. So for example on one page I discreetly mention protagonist’s hair colour and in the next chapter I will mention her eyes or something like that. I think this is better because the reader is not overwhelmed by description but at the same time he gets all the basics, just not in one go. And then again, I think it boosts the story. I don’t know. It’s just thing I like to do. Also, I love to focus on details and especially on curious details or something that is unique for the character such as dimples or freckles or a birthmark really. It gives the characters a little more depth I think.
I’ve never imagines protagonist as myself and even thinking about it makes me like a creep. I don’t know. It’s weird for me to imagine myself as a main character or as a character in general but interesting thought!
Also, I think being a pirate is much more easy. I mean, the sea and wind do the job for you and you just need to be a badass… that can’t difficult right? 😀
YES. Personality over description any day! And I like description when it’s sprinkled in? Like we meet him and in the next chapter she notes how his hair is always dark and messy or something, you know? It feels more natural when it’s not in a big HUNK of description.
omg and the eye thing? I cannot understand the eye thing. And plus like where are all these AMAZING eyeballs coming from?!? Most people I know have really “boring” eyes compared to the ones in books.😂 OH. And once I read a book where a girl was being attacked and she, no joke, described the colour of her attackers eyes. I MEAN WHAT EVEN?!?!? So unrealistic.
I suppose I don’t like put my FACE on the main character necessarily, but I kind of envision myself as them, sort of?!?? IT’S WEIRD I DON’T THINK I’M EXPLAINING IT RIGHT.😂
I am entirely in agreement with you about less is more. (I also view characters as blobs, even my own. Even myself, in my mind, looks like a blob most of the time, unless I focus. Or they’re just, like, hair and then floating eyes and maybe a mouth. It’s kind of weird.) I like to know a bit about the character, but I really don’t like it when there are actual paragraphs about their eyes. They are blue, I get it, you don’t need to describe them like a summer’s sky about fifty times.
Being a pirate is easier than being an artist, in my opinion.
I don’t think I imagine protagonists like myself?? Maybe I do. I have no idea, tho.
My blobs often have hair too, though!! It’s like a BLOB with RED HAIR and…that’s where it ends.😂 But it doesn’t affect my enjoyment of a book?! Unless the description comes like at the very last page. Ugh. That annoys me because I’ve kind of constructed them already, and it’ll throw me if it’s tossed in at the end. Also I’m of the opinion that describing eye colour really doesn’t matter to the story. XD
SHE MENTIONED THE PJO FILMS! SHE MENTIONED THEM! Seriously though, I never understood why people were so bothered about how the characters looked. Didn’t they see what happened to the plot?!
I like character description. I think it’s important. But, then again, I’m a very visual person. 😉
I don’t think they even read the books.😂 Like plot, characters…AGES OF CHARACTERS?!?!?!??!? THE FACT THAT PERCY WENT TO BOARDING SCHOOL? Not important obviously. Ahem.
To me, character descriptions really help imagine a character, though when there is too much describing, it can get really boring. For example, I really don’t need a paragraph on *insert character name*’s eye colour. But the good thing about these character descriptions is that it gives directors a basic on what the actor should look (vaguely) like. It’s frustrating when they get it completely wrong. ARGH.
OMG YES. Like the description-info-dumps? PLEASE NOOO. I tend to just skim them, because it doesn’t stick in my brain anyway.
Well done! Many of your points are exactly how I feel. I’ve tried expressing it to some of the self-published works I’ve read, yet they still feel presenting a character’s eye color, not to mention hair color and length at the same moment, is very important.
I have nooo idea why writers are so adamant about the eye-colour issues. 😂 I mean, as a writer myself I’ve TOTALLY fallen into that trap, but now I’m like “why does it even matter?” and barely ever mention it. hehe. I’m glad you liked my post!
I guess I’m pretty torn about this too!
I do love seeing in my head what the character looks like, but I don’t want the author to overly describe him/her to the point that that is all they do, tell you what the character looks like.
I tend to hate it when that happens.
When a book becomes mostly about the features of the character than what characteristics they have.
Great post! 🙂
The info dumps get REALLY boring REALLY fast right?! I tend to think it’s better if the description is sprinkled about the story. *nods*
So I like character descriptions . . . but there are times when I’ll blatantly ignore them in favor of the image I made for the character. Or just skim over them and later be like “Uh . . . no. I don’t really know what the main character looks like. Except awesome. ‘Cause he’s awesome and did X and Y and OH MY PUMPERNICKEL WHEN Z HAPPENED.” On the other hand, appearance can really tell you a lot about peoples’ characters. Like, when Abigail meets Jackaby the first time, when she describes him, you have a very good idea what to expect. (Sorry, not the best example, since I know you don’t like that book, but it’s the first one I thought of.) So, basically, if character descriptions will further the plot or the character development or the setting? Do it! If not . . . eh. Don’t worry too much about it. One of my favorite characters in the Goldstone Wood series has no character description whatsoever beyond:
1. She’s female
2. She tends to go all red-blotchy when she’s embarrassed
3.She has honey-golden hair (and this was only put in after the editor told the author “give us some idea what she looks like!”)
And yet I love her and have a stunningly clear image of her in my head. if I were an artist, I’d paint her for you.
(On a mostly unrelated side note . . . am I the only long-haired person in the world who doesn’t have problems with it getting in their way or taking forever to take care of or whatever? Because I feel like I am. Though, I keep it braided basically 24/7, so maybe that’s why. :P)
HEHHEH I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS SO MUCH, SARAH, I CANNOT EVEN SAY. <3 Especially your oh pumpernickles. 😂 Ahem. But yes. BACK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND!
Oh oh I don’t have hard feelings towards Jackaby, don’t worry. ;D (Also I’m really impressed that you knew I didn’t like it much! Ahem.) I think sometimes it’s really important for the kind of character they are? Like we kind of needed to know Jackaby dressed eccentrically so we knew what kind of person he was, right!? So I think that kind of description can be pretty important. (As long as it’s not info dumped because ahhhhghhgh boring.)
Omg, that is wonderful though. 😀 I think it’s nice when we can totally create the characters ourselves. THE AUTHOR TRUSTS US. (Like it doesn’t happen regularly for me? But it has happened a few times. Like I feel like I absolutely completely know what Blue from the Raven Boys looks like *nods*)
(YOU ARE THEN WITH YOUR LONG HAIR, YOU CLEVER FISH. Okay but I always had mine braided too? But it was always beating/strangling me? Such violent hair I had. I’m 10000% happy I cut it.😂)
I am the same way! I almost never visualize a chracter’s face. I do like some details about the character, so I don’t visualize them in an incorrect way.
*hi fives for blob imaginers* We can be blob readers together then. 😂
Usually, I like to see some detail – as long as it doesn’t bog the story down that is. But then again, I do like to be able to make some of my own calls on some of their features. 🙂 Great post!
AGREED! There needs to be some sort of balance right?!? 😀
Girl yes! I can’t agree with you more! I’m all for the: describe the character thing (but to a certain point!) It’s like, don’t give me a ton of descriptions about their face, how they smell, what color their eyes are… because nine times out of those TEN, I’m not going to care or remember. And for some reason as I’m reading, I start to imagine the characters how I want them to look, no matter the descriptions or even the cover art! Rarely do I follow how the characters look on the covers! <3
SAME. I never eeeever remember. 😂 I mean if you asked me the eye colour of the character in the book I just finished? NOPE. I’d rather they put in details that stick and develop them. Like having blue eyes doesn’t change your life, but having curly hair might.
I think I do enjoy having some sort of description, if only as a basis for my imagination. Like, imagining something from nothing is hard, but having an idea of where you’re starting is a good bet.
Like Scarlet from TLC, she’s a redhead, freckles, got a good body and is casual with a jacket, and I think of a feisty redhead, hair long and loose who doesn’t like anyone mess with her, looking rad as hell in an amazing jacket, jeans, great long distance shoes, with a bitch face that beats anyone.
It’s important to have some sort of basic description, but pure details, no, I can do those myself. Great post like always, woop! 😀
Omg, I totally think Marissa Meyer rules at description. <3 I never remember an info dumps of it yet I actually have a clear picture of everyone!! (Except maybe Winter? But I just imagined her really fragile and birdlike *nods*)
SOME description is needed, for sure. Which is a thing I need to work on in my writing.😂 I tend to 100% skip it, awk.
I love description. Not because I can’t picture a character without it but because description, in my eyes, is an art! It is so beautiful and brilliant and a huge part of an author’s writing style. The way different authors describe things is so interesting and amazing and terrific. Sometimes I’ll find myself dropping my book closed and staring into space and time because ‘wow, that was so. Good’. On the other hand I think TOO much description goes over reader’s heads. There is a fine line between enough and too much, and the description needs to be layed out in a way that is easy for the reader to take in. If authors include paragraphs of description I find it gets tedious and I don’t remember half of what he/she said. I think an effective way for writing description is letting the character live out the description. For instance, instead of saying ‘she had blonde hair that seemed to glow like the sun’ you could say ‘she ran her hands through her glowing blonde hair’. I prefer it when description is revealed over time, rather than all at once. Authors also need to ask themselves what description is really neccesary.
Wow! That’s a long comment. But I like this topic 😉😝
*nods* So basically we need balance right?!? Not too much, but not too little either. 😂 Which is probably really hard to achieve…(well I find it hard to achieve in my own writing, hehe) but ugh to when it gets tedious. I find myself skimming when that happens. AND YES! Like just making the description flow?! Showing their looks instead of just outright telling? THAT IS WONDERFUL.
(I loved your comment!) 😀
I totally agree with about wanting to know how they view themselves, but sometimes that turns into a pity fest (Oh, and mirror scenes. PLEASE DON’T WRITE MIRROR SCENES), like “I’m so plain and ugly with brown hair and an ugly nose and too skinny and not pretty and I don’t have big boobs, but then again I don’t want big boobs because I don’t want to be like those SLUTS at school!1!!11!!!1!!”. Like, I don’t think of myself as the pretties princess in the world, but SHEESH. Can’t we have characters that are happy with how they look, how they are? I mean, I know a lot of YA characters are teen girls, and I know a lot of teen girls are insecure, but…..I mean, you can love yourself without being vain.
MIRROR SCENES ARE EVIL AND SHOULD BE DESTROYED. *hyperventilates quietly* I think they’re like bookworm taboo now though, thank goodness, so I rarely come across them. But if a character even looks at a mirror, I freak and run away.😂
Omg and that description type you just listed? AGREED. So. irritating. -_- I know being a teen is full of insecurities, but omg they always get described as PERFECT but they’re never happy? Usually we have like ONE feature we’re proud of right?!? hehe and I think some good self-image in books would actually be really healthy for readers. (I also hate how actually loving yourself is seen as vain. So frustrating. GRR. It’S OKAY TO LOVE YOURSELF.)
I love character descriptions! What I find hard though is how to describe the character without losing the reader’s interest. UGH. Also I think Theo James was perfect for the part of Four……but that’s just my opinion 😀
SAME. I really really struggle with that. I tend to skip writing descriptions in my books and then my beta readers thump me. BUT IT’S SO HARD.😂
(I can’t unsee Theo James as Four? And I don’t think he’s bad, per se, just not what I imagined at all.😂)
Of course all characters look like my beautiful self!! Why ever would they not be?!
Hmm. I’m kinda 50/50 on the description thing. BUT IT ANNOYS ME SO MUCH WITH ALL THE WHITE PEOPLE!! AND MODELS?? WHAT EVEN PEOPLE? WHAT EVEN?!?! (this is the reason why I’m writing a book where everyone are dull looking people who are very intelligent.)
EXACTLY. *flips hair majestically* I’m just too gorgeous and need be in every book.
(Ahem, but OKAY I ADMIT. Like I don’t give characters my face, or anything??? Just…Idek how to describe it? Like they just look like my family kind of I guess?! hehe)
I KNOW RIGHT?! If 5% of the world is white, wHAT IS GOING ON WITH THESE BOOKS.
I rarely remember all the details of what a character looks like. I totally missed, while reading The Hunger Games, that Rue had dark skin. Until I started re-reading Outlander and talking to other fans, I only ever remembered that Jamie was maybe tallish and that he had red hair. Claire…she had unruly curly hair that everyone was always clucking on about.
So yeah, character descriptions don’t mean much to me. I’m all about the plot pulling me in and getting me to the end of the book. I want the characters to be engaging and relatable.. I guess I don’t really care what they look like. I care about what they do!
OMG ME TOO, TERRI! I DID TOO!! I was actually surprised when the trailer came out and Rue had dark skin and then everyone is like “It’s IN THE BOOK” and I’m like “Oh yes! There it is too!” But tbh, I imagined Katniss as really dark…like very dark Italian? But whatever. 😂 I’m always so messed up when it comes to book descriptions.
YAAAAAAAAAS. Cait, you took the words right out of my mouth– less is more. That is the relationship I’ve always had with this, and that’s really just how I write too. I know that when I’m reading I’m like, “okay, tell me at some point early on what color his hair and eyes are” but I really don’t need to know EVERY SINGLE DETAIL of what he is wearing and how every vein in his arms look and where every single freckle is positioned on his face. Most of the time, in fact, on the rare occasions when I find myself reading XD and my eyes identify a long description on the page, they almost automatically want to scan. Hahaa.
And I also just like to have the breathing room to imagine the character for myself– EVEN THOUGH LITERALLY, THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME NOT FEEL ALONE IN THE WORLD BECAUSE I DON’T IMAGINE FACES EITHER. BLOB CHARRIES FTW! Abbie is always telling me “USE PINTEREST FOR CHARRIE BOARDS” and I’m like “BUT MY CHARRIES DONT HAVE FACES SO NO ONE WILL LOOK LIKE THEM”
I think some description is necessary, but sooooooo many books go overboard imo.
THIS POST WAS PERFECTION.
OMG SAME, KATE. WE ARE TWINS IN THIS MATTER. If I see a blob of anything being described I skim. 😂 I’m terrible. Ahem. But I think less is always more, since it doesn’t make a massive impact on me anyway? BUT OMG I’M SO BAD AT WRITING ANY DESCRIPTION. I never know where to squeeze it in so it’s not weird or forced! LIFE IS HARD. *collapses dramatically*
BLOB IMAGNERS FTW! *hi five* HAHAHH and I’m exactly the same. Like even with other people’s books? I’ll see the movie or whatever and be like “Well I don’t know what he looked like BUT IT WASN’T THAT.” #bookwormproblems
I’m on of those people who love character descriptions. I love reading them and I love writing them. In a first draft I may take a half page to describe someone (most of this is cut later because it’s more for my own purposes in learning about my character). I mainly love them because how someone looks tells you a lot about them. Do they keep their hair natural or dye it? Do they love fashion or put on a crusty t-shirt every day? These things are important to character development.
Of course, they can also be annoying as heck. Like you said, those amazing eyes and ripped for no good reason characters. Barf-o. One of my characters is african american and I was going to give him blue eyes at first, but then I stopped myself because, while it can happen, it’s very rare and I didn’t want to make him one of those magical looking love interests.
I also find it annoying that everyone is assumed white. Most of my characters are latino so I actually have to describe white people as white. Mwhahah, subvert the societal norms!
Omg, come and write my character descriptions for me then, please and thankyou.😂 I’M HORRIBLE AT WRITING THEM. I just never know where to slip it in so it’s not awkward? Like my character profile sheet will have a huge description hunk, but I rarely manage to squeeze it into the book. MUST WORK ON THIS. And I do totally agree styles and things impact that character. Like if you say a character has dreadlocks, it already says a lot about them, right? So I mean, one sentence of description can make a character waaay more complex and that is COOL.
OMG YOU ARE AWESOME THEN. I honestly think EVERYONE should be described, to help stop it being the norm. *nods*
Well, as long as they dont get boring- BRING IT ON!
Like those description info-dumps?! = THE WORST.😂
I think there should be a happy medium. Too much is too restricting on the readers, but too little makes it a little more flat. I love being able to imagine characters however I want, but I need something to go off of. The extent of my art is stick figures, and I have never been more than 20 feet into the ocean, so I can’t really speak on either, BUT in theory I think the pirate life is the easier (and better paying). I imagine myself in stories all the time. I love being able to relate to a character, and a lot of times the character an author makes the most relatable is the protagonist, but I also love the good side characters and FOIL characters.
oh I am definitely with you on needing a happy medium. BALANCE. HUZZAH. It’s remarkable how hard the balance is to reach, though, I think? I mean, I don’t mind if there’s next to none, but it bugs me if I don’t know ANYTHING about their features. Like, not even what nationality they are. 0-0
I’m sure the pirate life is easier. I mean, you could just like steal the paintings instead of painting them, yes? You could also steal chocolate. I think I shall be a pirate when I grow up.
Seems like a very legit thing to be. I think I shall join you.
I quite enjoy a bit of character description…as long as it’s in the natural flow of the story. If they’re just standing in front of the mirror thinking about how luscious their flowing locks of brown hair are with serious green eyes staring back at them, then I will skip that bit and mosey right on over to where the story starts again. Aside from that, I guess it depends on what kind of story is told, but on the whole I don’t really mind either way as long as it’s in keeping with the story 🙂
Agreed! Mirror descriptions are. the. worst. And totally unrealistic?!? I mean do you really stand in front of the mirror and just info dump to yourself about your face? NOPE. I think that’s like a book taboo these days though, because I rarely see it. THANK GOODNESS.
I do really like character descriptions, personally. I have the same visualization issue as you do if the character is not described, so descriptions really help. Also I ADORE fancasting, so basically.
However, I don’t like when all the characters have “long wavy hair with stunning blue eyes” or whatever, because, honey, very few people really look that gorgeous or striking all the time. I like when characters have bobs, or glasses or braces, or Adam’s apples, or acne, or other little flaws that make them seem less like characters and more like real people. I also don’t like when the author spends two pages describing the texture of one person’s hair. Short, realistic descriptions are what I prefer.
– Ellie
http://ontheothersideofrealitynew.blogspot.com
YES! SAME THOUGH! I love the little “flaws” … although I don’t usually even see them as flaws? I see them as looking like real people. 😂 Because the supermodels are all very nice, (I guess?) but they usually have me rolling my eyes because TEENAGERS ARE AWKWARD GREASY THINGS NOT PERFECT ADONISES. *sighs*
I thought I was the only one. Cause I can never picture character’s that well their always just as you said faceless blobs. And everyone else has such a clear view. I throught I was some odd ball.
YOU ARE NOT AN ODDBALL!!! Or else you are and I am too? So we can be fabulous oddballs together.
I know it’s really weird, but I tend to imagine the protagonists and villains as looking something like their authors. And I rarely visually insert myself in a story. I don’t visualize faces well, and I don’t especially like it when authors spend a lot of time describing facial characteristics because those descriptions don’t do anything for me. They don’t magically help me to imagine a face any better than I did before. Most all my characters are faceless blobs. I only like to specify things like height, skin color, and hair color. I will include eye color from time to time, but only if it’s relevant–like, if someone is staring you down, you’re more likely to notice their eye color. But I don’t like it when stories focus a lot on eye color because honestly, I sometimes forget my own friends’ eye colors. There was this one guy in my karate class once, and I always wanted to remember his eye color, so I would check it during class, but then I would forget it as soon as I left. And to this day I still couldn’t tell you what his eye color was. *nods*
Anyway, I loved your lists. 😀
*hi five for blob imaginers* I used to be one of those writers who was VERY specific about eye-colour, but omg, now I’m like “what even is the point?” And I usually forget what I’ve said, so usually they end up with rainbow eyes and IT’S VERY AWKWARD I HOPE YOU CAN IMAGINE. ahem. I think description is best in sprinkles across the story too, instead of in globs?
*whispers* I seriously only realised one of my sisters had green/grey eyes like…this year. And I’ve known her for 22 years. Oh dear, Cait. OH DEAR.
I don’t like it when in the first page or whatever of the book the character describes what they look like down to the weird freckle on their left arm. But if it’s little things…someone casually mentions hair/eye/skin color, and that’s it…I tend be good. I don’t think it needs much more, because people are going to imagine them differently, anyway. The best example of this that I kind think of is Mare from Red Queen…Victoria Aveyard has said on her Tumblr that she imagines Mare to look like Raven from The 1oo…and that was not how I imagined her. I imagined her shorter, with freckles for some odd reason.
Like when the description is sprinkled through the story? YUP. I’M WITH YOU THERE. The really really reeeally detailed descriptions kind of make me think whoever is narrating is a bit obsessed sometimes.😂 Or maybe I’m just completely clueless because I never notice details about humans.
I like basic description, nothing to in depth, my vision of a character never seems to fit the authors. I like imagining the details in my head.
I’m super good at imagining worlds so I GET YA ON THE IMAGINING PART. Also it’s kind of cool that the author gives us a bit and then we can fill in the blanks, right?!
That first paragraph is so accurate. I agree with less-is-more when it comes to character descriptions. Like you said, it’s all blob faces for me! And yeah, characters are usually described unrealistically. I think it’s cool that Hermione only had a few descriptors in the book, and in general people assumed she was white, but it turns out maybe she isn’t! On the other hand, if JKR wanted a black main character, I think she should have made it explicit. Just like she shouldn’t have said, “Oh, btw, Dumbledore” is gay after the books were finished. It’s such a cop-out.
OH GOOD. Blob face imaginers UNITE! (That sounds so weird…but everything I say sounds weird, so I dare say this isn’t surprising to anyone. AhHEM.)
I’m kind of torn on the Hermione side? I mean, if she wasn’t white, then I think JK Rowling would’ve said something earlier. I have to admit I’m not a fan of JK Rowling’s spontaneous afterward diversity…like you said, the whole “btw Dumbledore is gay!” is a cop-out and far too convenient. If it’s not in the book, I don’t think even the author can just change their minds after it’s published…
“when you bump into someone, do you really notice the precise shade of their eyes???” YAAASSSSSSSSS this has been a complaint of mine for-ev-ah. I like a small amount of description but not so much that it interrupts the flow of the story.
This is random and not post-related, but I just saw your Insta post about becoming a bookshelf and as my eye was scrolling across the top of the screen it ran the headings together into “contact the bookshelf” and my brain was like “oh my god she’s completed her metamorphosis” lol.
OMG and once I read this book where a girl was being attacked…but she mentioned the eye colour OF HER ATTACKER. I mean…I just can’t even with that. It’s so unrealistic.
BAHAHAH I AM LAUGHING SO HARD RIGHT NOW.😂 Yes. It is done. I am the bookshelf.
I personally really like character descriptions in order to help me view the character, but there are definitely some things that annoy me a little. Like when the author says the character is tall with blonde hair halfway through the story whilst this whole time I’ve been imagining them as small and brunette! And when the descriptions are really cringy. I hate when a prospective couple meet and they’re like “He has eyes the colour of a thousand oceans and eyelashes which make me faint, His body is that of a God.” Ew. No. Keep that fluff away from me. Anyway, great post!Q
Flower Crowns and Fairytales
It’s like the descriptions need to be sorta up front, right?!? BEFORE we get our own ideas in place. 😂 HAHAH BUT OMG YES I agree with that over the top description style. Plus it’s kind of unrealistic?? Especially in YA. Boys are generally not Adonises. They are just not, omg.
Right, so I think most people can agree that a lot of description can weigh the book down and lose the readers’ interest, and as you said, I agree that less is more. It would also be okay if they’re just like, “Hey, this character looks like Lupita Nyong’o!” But probably that is unacceptable in most peoples terms. So descriptions as you mentioned is most essential, I think, just to get like the bones of appearance. Also, I think description can be given without outright saying so? Like, if they play sports or something, it goes without saying probably they have an athletic type body… Or if they’re slightly out of the ordinary when it comes to a standard look, they may have different colored hair. I think description could definitely be less… what’s the word I’m looking for… mundane? if writers had more fun with it. ☺
That’s all very true *nods* and I kind of like that because it’s sort of detective work? Like to say “they’re athletic” so you can get an idea of body image off that. hehe.
Omg but once I DID read a book where they described people by comparing them to famous IRL people…and it totally flopped for me because I had NO IDEA who the people were they mentioned. D: So I think that’s a difficult one, tbh.
Yes! It would make it more fun and interesting! ^-^
Oooh, that’s a good point. I wasn’t even thinking about that! I guess it would throw me off guard when reading, “She’s been told more than a dozen times that she looks like {crosses out Angela Murphy,” and I didn’t know who Angela Murphy was… which, obviously I wouldn’t, because that’s a made up name hehehe.
Omg this is kind of off topic of what we are actually talking buuuut I CAN’T HELP BUT SAY I have this character called Ava Murphy.😂😂 So this comment made me laugh. AHMMMM. But back to what we were saying…*nods sagely* It is true. Plus I guess it kind of dates the book, too? To the popular figures of the time? Not that that’s always a bad thing though.
So close!! Lol that’s weird 😂 Anyway, yeah, that’s true as well. I still stand by my other suggestion, though, describing their appearance by showing. *nodnodnod*
I typed up such a long comment in reply to this, that I ended up turning into a blog post of its own and posting it on my new book blog. XD https://thepagedreamer.wordpress.com/2016/02/06/yes-i-like-character-descriptions/ So there’s my reaction. But this is a very interesting topic and I had no idea I had so many thoughts on it, so thanks for the interesting topic-starter! 😀 I prefer descriptions, myself. Also, your remark about long hair had me cracking up because I have long hair and yes. XD
OMG YOU HAVE A NEW BLOG?!?!!?? *dashes off to go see* Long hair is like a blessing/curse though right? I mean, you get to look fabulous, but it also likes to kill you in your sleep. OH THE THINGS WE DO.
Great post that got me thinking about visualising characters! I don’t enjoy being bogged down in character descriptions. I find those tedious and start skimming. I do, however, feel that character descriptions are important. I’m a visual person. I need to know what the characters look like, but thankfully, I’m also able to fill in the blanks and create characters of my own (if the descriptions are sparse). I also love descriptions that further character development. Those are the AWESOMEST types of descriptions! But hair colour and eye colour ARE really important! (JUST PLEASE DON’T LET ME HEAR ABOUT SOMEONE’S AMAZINGLY OTHERWORLDLY COLOURED EYES OVER AND OVER AGAIN! IT MAKES ME GO INSANE!) I think it because the first thing I look at when I meet people are their eyes… Weird, but true!
*nods* AGREED. I don’t like big hunks of description. Plus it’s all telling and not showing and that means it’ll get booooring fast. *sighs* BAHHAAHA TO THE OTHERWORLDLY EYEs Omg, okay so truthfully I do think eyes are fascinating, but I just don’t think it’s so realistic to have all those “amazing colours like the sea after a storm” or whatever. I mean, do people really have eyes like that? REALLY?? (The last thing I know about people is their eye colour so I’m opposite to you.😂 I STILL don’t know what colour most of my friends eyes are…#mybad)
I think I’m in the middle category. Descriptions go a long way to helping you picture someone but at the same time, I don’t need you to pretend to be Charles Dickens and describe absolute every single feature in a person. It’s not necessary. One of the worst things for me are paragraph long descriptions of a person. I’d rather have that same paragraph spread out in an entire chapter than for you to try and shove it down my throat in one move.
Omg yes, Charles Dickens did have fun with description didn’t he?!? I mean, I know he was paid by the word BUT DUUUUUDE YOU GOTTA CHILL.😂 I like it when the author trusts readers to come up with stuff themselves (even if I absolutely suck at it..the sentiment is nice heeh)
I dunno…. I think it depends for me. Sometimes it’s easier to picture the characters in the head but most of the times I end up imagining the character my way despite the given description. So I think…. a bit of description to begin with is good!
*nods* AGREED. XD I’m all for “less is more” but I still want a little bit of some, or I’m left floundering too much!!
I like description for a couple of reasons. 1) I always for get character names. ALWAYS! But what I do tend to remember are interesting and unique quirks, like a different color hair or freckles or something like that. So if descriptions can be used as tags, that would be great. Like “there’s bob, the tall one with the round face”. then I can immediately think “ok, that’s the tall dude with the round face, not the short red haired annoying kid named bill.”
2) A lot of times, character description comes later in the book, after I’ve though up what the character looks like. So it’s super awkward (In my mind) when I think of a character with dark skin and long black hair, then the book says that they have brown hair and olive skin. This is also very frustrating.
And I’ve never actually been a pirate, but being a fan artist is DA BEST! Although its much harder to draw book characters than normal ones on TV or in your mind. Perhaps I should take a break and start sailing the seven seas. How hard can it be?
AHHH THAT MAKES SENSE. *nods* And I actually have read books where they do that and it IS handy. So long as they only do it upfront and not continually? Like once I read a book where every. single. time a character was mentioned they included this weird trait. It got annoying fast. -_- 😂
I think descriptions need to be sort of near the front?!? Or else it just throws you, right?
OMG YOU ARE AN ARTIST?!?! AHHHH YOU AMAZING BEAN. I am like as artistic as a beetle, but I have aspirations. :’) I do plan to sail the seven seas though, because pirates and buried treasure and all that fun stuff *nods sagely*
I want some bare-minimum descriptions. I once read a book where I spent the whole time thinking this one character was white… and then it’s revealed near the end that he’s black! Whoops. Mental whiplash. (If you’re going to deviate from the expected, mention it earlier… or don’t bother. The guy’s colouring was unimportant to the story… so all mentioning it at the end of the book did was confuse the reader.)
YA often goes too far with description, though, to the point of it being hilarious. One book I read mentioned the love interest’s blue eyes more than 30 times. But, in the same book, the heroine’s eyes accidentally changed colour at one point! Oh, dear. I think sometimes authors fixate on one trait and take it way too far. On the one hand, it does help cement an idea of that character in the reader’s mind (am I ever going to forget that that guy had blue eyes? Probably not) but on the other hand, it can come off as kind of superficial.
I personally like character descriptions, even though when they go and make a movie out of the book they usually get it wrong. Kristen Stewart as Bella? Nope. Josh Hutcherson as Peeta? Nope again. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley? No… (although I think he’s great in the role, he’s not how I imagined Ron when I read the books; in my mind, Ron looked more like the Phelps twins who played Fred and George)! If an author describes a character too well, they’re probably going to run into this problem.
The only time I’ve envisioned protagonists looking like myself is if there’s so little description that I need… a placeholder, I guess. I can’t just have featureless blobs walking around; I need something to anchor my mind to, and description is what does it. Alternately, I’ll throw in someone I know. A generic grandfather who’s not described might end up looking like my grandfather in my head. A teacher who is little more than a name and an occupation might end up looking like one of my former teachers. I need character descriptions when I read… even if it’s just one little trait.
AGREED!! It needs to be mentioned up front! Or else it’s just…it just don’t work, right?! They did that in The LIon, the Witch and the Wardrobe too! Not a SINGLE SENTENCE OF DESCRIPTION until the very last chapter. Wut even, CS Lewis, you melon.
And yup, I’ve read the books where they describe the eyeballs a zillion times…SO IRRITATING. And unnecessary?!? Like I think there needs to be more to romantic attraction than liking the colour of someone’s eyes so STOP TALKING ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME. *growls*
Oh and when it comes to movies I can ONLY EVER see the actor. Even if I think they were wrong??? I can’t unsee it. XD Like I thought EVERYONE in the Divergent cast was wrong wrong wrong…but now they are firmly in my mind as the Divergent cast. *sighs*
Basically I’m having ALL THE THOUGHTS after this… Trying to decide how to describe people in my writing and stuff. I also have a hard time imagining characters. Like sometimes they are faceless blobs and sometimes if I really like them I’ll pay more attention to the details given by the writer and imagine something. IDK. It’s complicated.
But I agree too much detail is so silly. It takes away from the story and makes me annoyed. Also why are all the teenagers in YA books drop dead gorgeous? I mean have authors never looked at teenagers? We all had acne and greasy hair. Like for once I want to read a YA book where the teens look realistic and I can relate too them. Or was I just the only ugly person in high school? 😉
I have hte HARDEST time doing this in my writing!! Most of the time I just skip!??😂 I had my sister describe my characters to me once based on what I’d written and omg she didn’t get a single thing right…so I need to work on this with my writing. hehe. xD
(I will join you in questioning all these gloriously attractive teenagers. I MEAN WUT EVEN. When I was a teen I had pimples and awkwardness and I don’t know a single “drop dead attractive” teenager in my life. -_-)
Lol that’s so funny about your sister. Yeah I just tend to skip or do bare minimum.
SAME HERE. I was so awkward…and the greasy hair and pimples yeah that was me too.
I’M GOING TO C R Y CAIT, I connect with this post on a spiritual level. IT’S JUST SO ON-POINT. I can’t even.
Okay, I’m also conflicted for character descriptions. The artist in me is REJOICING SO HARD like I have solid evidence that the character’s hair is AUBURN not brown so I can add those little details. But then I cringe whenever I see non-canon art because why. Why. I’m all about that imagination going on, but WHY CAN’T WE FOLLOW THE BOOK. (That’s just my personal pet peeve haha)
God, movie-makers are the WORST at that. Thinking about the PJO movies makes me want to punch something.
Okay but at the same time, descriptions can get so lazy. Ya know, recently I read about a character who had “blue, blue eyes.” What kind of eyes are they? Oh, I dunno, blue. Don’t even GET me started on those chiseled faces, five-o-clock shadows, etc. LIKE FOR PETE’S SAKE THESE ARE (most likely) ADOLESCENT BOYS. 75% of those in my classes still have pimples, omg.
OMG I AM SO GLAD, AILA. *gives you cake and mop for your tears because is so kind* But bahhaha to the “why can’t we all follow the book” I LOVE THAT. I AGREE. I mean, is it really that hard?!? I’m looking at you, Movie Directors, too. GARGGHH. I don’t think anyone read the PJO books before the movies. They were just like “Teens + greek stuff? Okay gotcha. Say no more” and went ahead. -_- Oh ahem, excuse me. Annabeth was like 30 when it was shot so not even teens.
YES RANT OVER. 😂
BLUE BLUE EYES. 😂😂 Omg. I totally know what you mean. And yes those Adonis teenage boys with their flawless skin and ripped bodies…I mean where even are they? -_-
I can never visualise faces either! They’re always fuzzy blobs of skin as well.
I like it when there’s a movie adaptation of a book or good fanart so I can clearly imagine the characters in my head. I do like character descriptions but I mostly find them useful for knowing what color hair the character has or what body type they have. If the author describes what kind of nose or eyes they have, it doesn’t make a difference to me since I can’t visualise faces! I don’t mind detailed character descriptions though, maybe because I’m used to them from reading a lot of classics.
I’ve never imagined a character as myself but I have imagined them as people i know.
WE ARE FUZZY BLOB ENVISIONING TWINS. *hi fives*
When I see a movie, that becomes the characters INSTANTLY, even if I don’t particularly like the movie’s version?? I can’t even help it.😂
*shrieks* UGH. This is a hard thing to debate, oh-bloggish-ruler. Like, I totally agree with you that characters are generally smudges with maybe a speck or two of color if they have a description I don’t miss- and yes! It’s so much easier to art them when like, you actually know what they look like.
But then you’re right with the whole thing that they can be RIDICULOUSLY over the top- like, as a teenager I don’t know anybody with actual muscles? And I have no clue what people’s eyes look like…though that might just be because I am shy potato and do not like eye contact. (Also they definitely do sparkle or shine with some weird color. 😐 ) I think that maybe there’s a happy medium in there somewhere…but I’m not even sure what it is. AHHH.
HEHE I’M GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT.😂 And omg unrealistic descriptions get me all the time. Like where are all these Adonis teenage boys anyway?? All the ones I ever see have pimples and no six packs.😂 And I am a shy potato too, so I’m sure that accounts for me personally never knowing people’s eye colours…but seriously??! Like is what people DO notice a lot?! I didn’t even realise one of my sister’s had grey/green eyes until this year and I’ve known her for, um, 20 years? -_-
I imagine characters with blob faces as well (with any defining features like hair or race) but I think it has something to do with your actual brain. When you dream, you mostly have people you know in your dream because the brain can’t think of new faces, and I think it’s the same when you read.
Anyways, I like minimum descriptions for characters because then I can imagine them more and not get bogged down with info dumps.
Ohhhh I never thought of it that way?!?? But that sounds really plausible. 😂 I never dream about people’s faces either actually, I don’t think. :O Like not even my family particularly. They’re THERE, but I never actually look at their faces. OKAY MY BRAIN OFFICIALLY IS WEIRD.
aHem. But yes minimum for me too. *hi fives*
I really really really like that second picture with all those art supplees. It is nice to look at. And…the books look nice too, haha. And, that is true, that you DON’T notice the color of someone’s eyes when you bump into them usually. Except I have a friend who has really bright light blue eyes, and probably people notice hers, but that does not happen USUALLY. Not for me, at least.
Ooohh, and funny story! You mentioned Jon Snow, so I looked him up, fully expecting him to have WHITE flowing locks, and when he didn’t, I was like, “but didn’t she say he had white hair…?” And then it made me think about how you said that people are going to imagine differently than the author describes sometimes (did you say that? Or did you only say that about movie makers?), and I was like, ‘OH, so that’s what they were doing!” And then I looked back at what you said and realized you never said anything about his hair actually being white. I only thought that because his name is Snow. So in that case, I would imagine him the whole time with white hair instead of dark brown, unless the author described him with dark brown hair, which I don’t know whether or not the author did, because I haven’t read the books! So anywho, I thought that was funny.
Awww, thank you, Maggie. IT GOES TO SHOW MESS IS ARTISTIC RIGHT?!? (This is me procrastinating cleaning up. Ahem)
But yes! YES. I was reading a book the other day where the character was being attacked and yet she described her attacker’s eye colour. I MEAN WUT?!?! That is so unrealistic it makes me growl.
BAHHAHA. Omg so that totally proves that everyone’s imaginations are so different. XD But come now, you must admit his hair is just divine. <3
I think there is a fine line between enough and too much for me because I like a good solid description. Their style of hair usually says something about their personality. Scars are always an interest grabber, hmm… where they get those. And skin color yes, because I hate visualizing someone with pale skin and then have the book say later on that they are well-browned by working in the sun, or think a girl is dark skinned and then chapters into the book they say she has kept her skin shaded and protected because lily-white is the fashion. Eye color seems to be very important to authors, but not for me. I don’t think it is nessesary unless it has some connection to the storyline. Yeah, I like a fair amount of description, but I draw the line at lips, ears, breasts, and butts. Ha ha! Thanks for making me think about this. I see faces for some characters and not others and they are usually a movie or TV actor when I do. Sean Aston always seems to show up in my head characters; he was my Peeta! Christian Bale shows up a lot and Anna Sophia Robb. Ha ha. I think I am going to make it a rule that I never mention eye color in my stories. 🙂
*nods* I would agree with basically all of this!! And I do think descriptions need to come basically up front?!? My biggest childhood description-memory-peeve was that in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe there was ZERO description until the very last page. LIKE WUT. By that time I’ve already invented the characters and it totally threw me. -_-
(I should make a no-eye-colour rule too. XD Dead Boy has much eye colour though JUST WARNING. But most of my newer-written books don’t even mention it anymore. It’s nearly cliche?!?)
I do personally like character descriptions, but I HATE it when I image a character one specific way and then they aren’t that at all. For me the most important character description is definitely who is taller than who in a group of characters. I must know these dynamics, and whether they tease each other about it.
HAHA OMG I UNDERSTAND. 😂 I used to always be the shortest in my friend group and they were ALWAYS teasing me. So that is kind of a big deal and should be mentioned in books. 😛
I totally agree with you! Some description is very good. More is not necessarily better. I’d say if an author really wants the reader to see a similar character that they do, it would be nice to have the description spread out.
E.g., Main character is introduced to a fit [Asian/Olive-skinned/Norwegien] man slightly [taller/shorter] than themselves. Then maybe a little while later MC notices the shape of his nose, the way his hair sticks out. They’re having a conversation on the phone and MC/narrator how his voice is raspy but he’s still very charismatic.
It’s something that should be built into the story the same way that it would be in real life. You don’t look at someone and automatically see everything there is to see and then have a photograph of them in your mind (unless you have photographic memory, in which case, ignore previous statement)
YES I LIKE THAT TOO!! Like the description is sprinkled throughout the text instead of info-dumps? Definitely my preference. *nods* And yes, exactly! Because who looks in a mirror and describes their nose???? NO ONE. It makes the story seem unrealistic, *nods* (I envy people with photographic memories. 😂)
Hmm.. like you, I never imagined a character while reading. It’s like the physical descriptions would come by default for me. Like if it’s a bad boy, usually he’ll have those dark hair-dark eyes-leather jacket look going on. If it’s a cute boy next door it’s usually brunette, glasses, and freckles, with green eyes. And the attractive hot guys usually blue eyes, toned skin, and blonde hair. I mean, so many books have used that standard default that they automatically came to my mind whenever I read. I feel okay if the author describe the characters, but sometimes it feels repetitive. Like, I don’t need you to describe how hot the mc is over and over and over again. I don’t need the description of how complicated and gorgeous the eyes color is. And anyways, do many people have that super complex and gorgeous eye color like that? because my eyes is just dark brown so dark it passes as black. *sigh*
OH oh I totally know what you mean. *nods* I always imagine the “bad boys” with dark hair too.😂 Which is why I get a shock when they’re like blonde or whatever. I’m always like “NO NO YOU ARE BAD ERGO YOU MUST BE DARK HAIRED DANGIT.” #stereotypes Oops. XD
And I hate the repetition. Ugh. When they’re like “and he’s so hot and so hot and so hot” I just want to stuff a pillow in my eyeballs basically. Plus teenagers aren’t usually even hot?!? It’s like an awkward part of life.
I usually want to know the basics about the character (hair color, eye color, short/tall, etc.). It helps me tell all the characters a part in my head, especially if a lot of them are the same age. But I agree that it can get super tedious, reading lengthy descriptions. It never takes so long to notice what a person looks like in real life as it takes to describe it on paper, so I feel like long descriptions grind the plot to a halt. I like when authors wrap descriptions into events as a necessary part of them or make the character’s appearance important early on, so it feels like a more organic part of the story.
Agreed. *nods sagely* Plus it can feel really awkward. Like why are they suddenly describing all their friends? GET ON WITH THE STORY. *sighs* It is really hard when one is writing description too, to know how much to put in. XD
I need descriptions! I always look for them and when an author takes a long time describing them I just begin to imagine them one way when they look completely different. I don;t like it also when they are like this gorgeous creature or all the guys have lopsided smiles. Like really? How many guys have you met so far in your life that they all look the same? Although, I do appreciate reading about a hot guy so I’m a bit of a hypocrite.
It depends on what you are good at – you might be a natural artist or pirate.
I don’t think I’ve imagined a character like myself. I mean maybe the hair if it’s curly… but not really no. Is that a bad thing I wonder?
Omg, I know right?!? And crooked smiles and perfect skin. UGH. DON’T FORGET THEY’RE TEENAGERS. -_-
(Or you could be a artist pirate and sail the seven seas painting water colour flowers or something. POSSIBILITIES.)
In reading, I generally just like to accept whatever the author does with their descriptions because it’s just part of the way the story is written, and, if it’s in first person, can add to the character of the narrator. (I don’t know if anyone else thinks like this, but I think what a person thinks about other people says a lot about them.) BUT, when they go in-depth on the exact dimensions of a person’s nose and the texture of their skin, or, on the other hand, give you an eye color and zilch, I get irritated, because NOBODY THINKS LIKE THAT. [I also have problems with supermodel characters, but that’s another story entirely, and one that calls for lots of capslock and ranting.]
I guess you just need balance between the two, at the risk of sounding rather yin-yangy.
And no, I never imagine a character as myself. Sometimes in real life I imagine that I’M a book character (should I have admitted that?) but never the other way around.
I hadn’t actually thought about the POV describing the character…but I guess that is true! Because I mean, in 1st you are so RIGHT in their head for all their thought patterns right?! Although that’s probably personality instead of physical description but IDEK. IT’S SO INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT THOUGH.
(I mean, who even notices eye colour off the bat anyway?!?! Nooot me.)
(I have problems with supermodel characters because being a teenager is like the ugliest part of your life basically.😂 And I feel like books forget that!?! And that probably doesn’t help teens to feel good about self image.)
BALANCE IS GOOD. I LIKE BALANCE.
I’m kind of in the middle on character descriptions. It all depends on how the author presents it. If it’s something kind of iconic of the character, (like at work there’s a dude who I refer to in my head as “the jungle boy” because my mom thinks he looks like the kid from Jungle Book). Also if the writer has a good style and yet can keep the description short, I like it. I know that sounds contradictory. But if they can be pithy, basically I will remember it. If it’s long, I just remember how bored I was while reading it.
When I write I try to go with sparse details, but at least something to go on. I also try to weave in the details here and there, not all at once. I know, I don’t take a person in all at once when I first meet them.
Oh it’s not contradictory!! I GET IT. Like also when the description is sprinkled throughout the book?! That is nice. *nods* And when it’s in big hunks my brain tends to go on “description overload” and just clonk out entirely. *sighs* I honestly am REALLY sparsely detailed with description in my writing because I never know where to put it so it doesn’t sound weird and contrived. OHHH THE WRITER LIFE IS HARD.
I like some in general, like you, but honestly, I probably STILL won’t picture them that way. My best example when I talk about this is that when I read Harry Potter, I don’t picture Harry with glasses. Yes, he has them. It’s repeated tons of times. My brain? No glasses for Harry! haha But yeah, having a general idea of what someone looks like is nice though, especially concerning different features or difference races, etc.
Oh, and I never notice people’s eye colors in real life so I think it’s weird that it’s mentioned so often in books. Then again, one of my friends finds me weird for NOT knowing people’s eye colors. Pshhawww.
Omg, really?!?! And yet glasses are his biggest defining thing. 😂 STILL go you for imagining, still!! BETTER THAN ME. 😛
And omg, yes to the eye colour. Like I never notice??? I didn’t even realise my own SISTER had hazel eyes until recently and I’ve known her for 22 years. -_-
HAHA YEP I can’t imagine characters either. And yet I’m still not happy with movie casting?? Clearly I’m never pleased.
Also I’m writing a book about beautiful ethereal Bob.
Also I like when characters have a really recognisable FEATURE and not much else is described 🙂 My favourite.
I don’t think there are like ANY movies that I’ve been “I’m 100% good with this”. I mean, I don’t imagine characters’ faces at all??? But still the movie-making-people didn’t do it right??? I’M HOPELESS.😂
Thank you. Ethereal Bob deserves to be written.
YES I DO THAT. Like I give them one defining characteristic basically (also because any more and I forget while I’m writing 😂).
I don’t really care one way or another if we get copious descriptions or not. I don’t like when the author drops an entire description of all the physical characteristics on one go, but if it’s sprinkled throughout the novel you barely notice. It’s nice to be able to base the incredibly vague blob I see in my head on something. However don’t tell me every second page that the character is oh so attractive with their amethyst purple eyes and golden flowing hair, or they have some random birthmark or scar that is completely irrelevant to their character development and/or plot. We don’t need to know everything about a character to put together a picture of what they look like.
And omg if there were no descriptions, imagine the fandom fights over fan art? Sure the artists get more freedom, but some people would call for the burning of any art that doesn’t match their mental image. Appearance doesn’t really matter so much, but we all know how crazy some fans can be. They’d argue over everything, including non existent physical descriptions.
Sprinkled throughout is really much better! I AGREE *hi fives* It’s nice to pick things up as one goes along too?!? Like putting together a puzzle of their face. 😂 Except I really still suck at that and EVERYONE IS A BLOB. But still. But omg, I haaate being told how “hot” someone is in books. I really think that word should be banned. -_-
And it’s not like fandoms take much to start warring, so I AGREE.😂 It would be mayhem.
Like you, I enjoy a “less is more” approach. And I am the same way- if someone is described as tall with red hair or something, it’s just an extra tall blob of red hair. Even if someone TELLS me about “sparkling green eyes the color of emeralds straight out of the Wizard of Oz after being polished and then immersed in fairy dust”, it really means nothing to me. I don’t know the eye color of like, 90% of people I know. Unless your eyes are somehow insanely jacked up, I am not going to notice.
Worst for me? Clothing descriptions. I don’t mind if it’s showing something about the character. Like in one of my things, I want to show that my character is a slovenly, hobo type, so I have to comment on her appearance, just a little. But sometimes I will read books where an author describes every outfit that the MC ever wears and I am just zoning out because who cares? I don’t need to know all the hairstyles, and nail polish colors, or whatever other random, girly nonsense I am being thrown.
Okay, started to go off on a tangent there. Also, WHY Theo James? WHY? I mean, he’s attractive, I don’t deny this. But he’s also like, my age. Which is fine if he wants to come over and see me, but not great when he is supposed to be the love interest of a 16 year old. Also- isn’t Tris supposed to be small and unassuming? Shailene is kind of neither. I could go on about this for days, but just know that I agree with you, which is really the most important thing anyway.
OMG BLOB IMAGINERS UNITE! *hi fives* At least if everyone is a blob, they are kind of all equal? I honestly don’t know anyone’s eye colour. I mostly don’t even know my family’s eye colour. I only realised one of my sister’s had kind of hazel eyes and not brown after 20 years of knowing her. #mybad
HEHE! I actually haven’t come across clothing problems yet?! I kind of like to know what they’re wearing, but just like a SENTENCE or something. Not a paragraph detailing the shape of their buttons…unless it actually means something to the plot. 😂 When they start describing shoes though…omg I AM SO LOST. Because we call shoes completely different stuff in Australia. (All the brand names and things, I mean. We do say shoes.) I honestly have to resort to google. I had no idea what chucks were for ages. :O
THANK YOU. I 1000% AGREE ABOUT THEO JAMES. I actually think they totally screwed up the casting in that movie SO SO BAD. I mean he’s like 30? He looks 30. I cannot ship him and Tris (I mean she’s like 30 too but at least she doesn’t look it) and feel okay about it. UGHHH. And I’m so so angry they made Christina so small. I mean, if SHE is tiny then Tris doesn’t look tiny, ergo TRIS IS NOT SEE AS TINY AND THAT WAS LIKE 80% OF HER DESCRIPTION IN THE BOOK. BLOND + TINY = TRIS. UGHHHH movies.
That was SUCH an interesting post to read. You always manage to come up with the most interesting ideas for discussion posts, and I’m impressed. GIVE ME YOUR MAGICAL POWERS please? 🙂
I don’t pay attention all that much to a character’s description. I like when it’s a little described, like when we know if it’s a POC, or what her/his hair is like or whatever, but, as I read, I realize I tend to forget the little details, when we get a lot of description, and I just imagine the character like I want. I keep in mind the important aspects, but forget the rest. And hm, I imagine the character being me -but with amazing powers or greater or whatever-, a lot of the time, hahaha. :p
BAHHAHA YOU ARE NICE. 😂 I think it’s because my brain is so odd?!?! Hehe. Ahem.
I do totally forget details if they’re given to me, too, which makes them pointless for me. I’m a baaaad reader in that respect. xD
Detailed descriptions of eyes are incredibly irritating. Like, I barely know the eye colour of the people I see every single day. HOW CAN YOU REMEMBER THE EXACT SHADE OF GREEN THIS BOY’S EYES ARE? (Or whoever it is.) I’m definitely with you on the ‘some-but-not-loads’ kind of character description. I don’t realise visualise faces either, so I’m not super bothered about that. — although sometimes I do find artists who just draw characters exactly how I picture them. AND THAT IS FUN. Yes. *nods*
I KNOW RIGHT?!?! I mean, I don’t even think eyes have as much emotion/colour as books make them sound. And if they do, you have to look soooo closely. I MEAN IS EVERYONE NOSE TO NOSE STUDYING EACH OTHER’S EYEBALLS!? Gah. And I hate when a character gets attacked but they describe the dude’s eyes. -_- Not really….realistic. gah.
I’m a very visual person, every character is unique to me (though some may have similarities – especially YA gorgeous male specimens *rolls eyes*) and I imagine them down to their nail polish and posters on their bedroom walls.
I’ll sometimes read a book and about 1/4 of the way in the author might mention something about a character, like ‘their long blonde hair’ and I’ll be all ‘what? No. No. It’s brown.’ It happens a lot. If a character isn’t given a basic description near the start, I just imagine them how I want and then get totally thrown when they DO get described (and then I just ignore said description).
However if I see a movie first, it might skew it. I try not to imagine actors when I read because it’s WEIRD, but some books I can’t help it. Harry Potter = movie cast (I saw the first film first and I’m cool with it, because my imagination improves the movie). Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy = movie cast (Ford Prefect is black in my head, every time I read about him in the book – I blank it lol) and then there’s comics. Even though I have a picture, and I see the picture as I read, my mind changes things – Doctor Strange in my head is hispanic even though in the comic he’s white (and Benedict Cumberbatch’s casting will not change this).
So while I don’t dig totally detailed descriptions because my mind automatically fills in the blanks as soon as I start reading, they can be useful if made early enough. I could seriously do without crap like ‘his eyes were like green orbs/emeralds/a river/moss/the forest’ though.
I feel like giving the basic of basicest descriptions at the start is imporant??! Otherwise, EXACTLY! It’s so weird to get halfway through and finally get the actual description but your brain has already made up it’s mind otherwise.😂
Omg, though if I see the movie first THERE IS NO GOING BACK. And like I saw The Help movie first? And after reading the book the characters are really not like they are in the movie. bUT I CAN’T UNSEE THE MOVIE. (Of which I adore that movie, btw. <33)
Bahah, but me too. I think the whole "amazing azure eyes like the sky after a storm" is cliche and over done by this point. XD
I never imagine protagonists to look like myself. Well, it never happened to me in the past. But you can write book character based on my look so I can imagine myself when I read it in the future when you decide to publish it, Cait 😉
And I like to have characters described detaily in the book. But only once and at the beginning of the novel so I can create my own picture of character in the head. I don’t like much when passages with character descriptions are repeated over and over again through out the novel as a filler. That would be boring. One specific description is required though.
BAHAHA. ALRIGHT. IT’S ON MY TO-DO LIST. 😂 I mean, I don’t imagine my face, necessarily, as the character?? It’s hard to explain…I just envision, I guess, my colouring/height/family-looks sort of?? MY IMAGINATION IS AN ODD PLACE.
Oh but like really vivid descriptions nearer the end are so not okay. I agree. 🙁 They always throw me?! Like you need to describe up front or not at all.😂
I like to have just enough description to have a good idea of what the character looks like. Doesn’t have to be super-detailed to me. 🙂
Like a full details are good, right?! So we get a concrete idea about the basics. *nods*
I’m the same! I don’t picture characters at aaaall. I just don’t think visually — it messes me up in science/math sometimes too. I’m glad I’m not alone!
HHAH ME TOO. I mean, it’s weird??? Because I think visually for literally EVERYTHING ELSE…but not for faces/description.
OH MY GOODNESS OH MY GAWWWSH. This. Just THIS in general. I understand what you mean, I NEVER EVER know what a character looks like even if the author tells me their eyes are dreamy blue 10000 times, I FORGET. I LOVE making fan casting though so character descriptions are nice even if I forget them 99% of the time. But I think they are kind of important because like you said, they do make the characters more real 🙂 without the descriptions people would be left with blobs, which isn’t bad XD it would just mean ALL mcs would be nothing but blobs and we’d all be like O_O wut is this madness? Good post 😀 AND I LOVE YOUR PICTURES WITH A FIREY BURNING PASSION. They are beautiful <3
BAHAH I TOTALLY RELATE TO THIS. TOTALLY. Like part of me doesn’t even care about what they look like?? And part of me is also annoyed when a character is just a blob. I at least need ONE (two preferably?) defining factors to at least remember them by.
I’m not too keen on a lot of description in characters personally – especially the way too detailed kind. I don’t mind if you throw in a few personality traits as well as telling me about general physical aspects (hair colour height etc), but for the most part I just let my imagination run wild when it comes to characters. My character versions are probably nothing like the intended character, but hey, reading is subjective, right?!
I think it’s awesome when imagination can just run wild, right?! It’s like the author TRUSTS US to use our noggins and invent something spectacular. 😂 And it’s kind of cool that we can all read like one sentence of description and see something different, right?!?
“It’s freeing to think about a character anyway you want.” < THIIIIIIIS THO. it's so true!! I have a strange problem with imagining characters, too. It's like…SOMETIMES I can see faces, and then other characters are blobs. Like I can really really clearly imagine one character and see an image in my mind's eye of exactly how they look…but then his brother’s face is censored. And I’m just like why. Dx
“It strangles you in your sleep. It gets in your food.” HAHA THANK YOU. I have long hair and now I feel solidarity in the fact that you know my struggles. Also it weighs like A HUNDRED POUNDS when it’s wet and that’s annoying. xD I love your white argument. It is soo true. And I love diversity a) because it makes things cooler and b) because you actually end up remembering the character better! Also, imagery. x)
“I mean, did Divergent not specifically say Four was 18 years old with black hair?” AND HE HAD DARK BLUE EYES IN THE BOOKS. LIKE WHAT. But like I cannot imagine anyone other than Theo as Four now sorry xD and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have watched the movie 16 times if he wasn’t in it. omg. #ihaveaproblem “And it makes you want to stab Bob’s eyes out with a spork, basically. Or maybe only I am that violent. Let’s hope.” AHAFISDNK OMG and while we’re on the topic of Divergent and eyes being stabbed (hand and hand, heh) am I the only one who is incredibly amused/confused/aggravated by the fact that Edward was completely wiped out of the first movie and not brought back in the second one???? LIKE THIS BOTHERS ME.
OMG SO YEAH. this is perfect. And I, too, am a strong believer than less is more. *nods* YOU SAID IT, MY QUEEN. YOU SAID IT.
love,
abbiee
OMG BUT I DO UNDERSTAND. And often times like I don’t see their face…but if someone does a fancast or something I’m all “Well that is definitely not right”. Even though I DON’T ACTUALLY HAVE A FACE ANYWAY.😂 My imagination is an odd thing.
The struggles of long hair are INFINITE. OMG. Mine was past my waist and ughhh, I don’t even miss it. I mean, it was a majestic mane? But the WEIGHT. Going swimming was like a nightmare afterwards.
Oh oh but like before a movie comes out I’m really critical of the cast? But then AFTERWARDS I can’t imagine anything but. Like I distinctly remember thinking Katniss/Jennifer Lawrence was wrong? But now…I COULD NOT IMAGINE ANYONE ELSE AT ALL EVER. (Excuse me but have you watched Divergent 16 times for FOUR?!?!? 😂 You’re adorable.) I have so many problems with the Divergent movie, tbh. AND YES WHY DID THEY GET RID OF EDWARD?? WUT EVEN. Also I’m endlessly confused why they cast Christina as SUCH a tiny person. Like it totally negates the fact that Tris is supposed to be small. TRIS IS NOT SMALL. Yet that’s one of the most emphasised things in the book??? UGHHHH. I hate it when they mess up like just really obvious details like that. -_-
I must agree, sometimes I do just picture blobs. But other times? I have the perfect image of characters. Like if the author mentions later that a character’s eyes are blue and I’ve already pictured him? HA. NO. HIS EYES ARE GREEN. I really enjoy character descriptions, but I like them to be vague, I like there to be room for creativity, Which is why reading is so awesome in general because IMAGINATION.
I think room for creativity is really nice too. 😀 Because it also makes the reader not feel stupid right? I mean, the author is saying “yes YOU have an imagination so use it too” and that’s awesome.
Omg I can’t visualize character faces either! They are blobs with hair! What is a strong nose anyway?
OMG I AGREE. WHAT IS A STRONG NOSE??? Is it a big nose? A well defined nose?? Does it even matter to the storyline??! 😂
It also really depends how the author brings the descriptions to life. I HATE those mirror scenes, where the character is looking at itself and describing what they see like they haven’t seen their face in forever. I think it is great to sprinkle details about character descriptions throughout the story, so I can have some sort of vision about how the author sees the character. But definitely not too much, because it is also great to have some freedom to create someone in my own mind.
I think a perfect example is Harry Potter. We knew he had glasses, a lightening bolt scar on his forehead, eyes like his mother and messy hair. Later in the story we found out that he wore clothes that were a billion sizes too big, because he got them from his nephew, etc. We still had enough space to make up our own mind, but we had the basic and most important details about how he looked. The same with Ron, Hermione, even the secondary characters 🙂 (But let’s be honest, Rowling is a genius in every way, so of course HP is a flawless example)
Mirror scenes are the WORST and they’re like one of the biggest writing taboos now, thank goodness, so I rarely have to suffer through them. And I mean, when one looks in the mirror, do they REALLY pause and think about every single individual feature? Nooooope. I like the sprinkled-description best too. *nods* Huge hunks of description are kind of boring to wade through anyway.
YES. I actually like JK Rowling’s description because she seemed to only give them like ONE (or two?) defining factor. I mean, all I really know about Hermione is her wild busy hair and Ron had red hair and hand-me-down clothes. And Luna always wore weird things (like radish earrings. <3) AND IT ALL JUST STUCK SO WELL. ROWLING IS MASTER.
I like character description, but to be honest I don’t notice it that much. It’s definitely character building, but I feel like if a character is described in the usual ways with just a list of features any ol’ mama could have then it gets boring. I want imaginative descriptions that add to the character so that we understand the character better – but I don’t want huge metaphors for every single feature either.
What can I say? We readers are fussy little creatures.
Omg, metaphors are often the worst when it comes to descriptions. 😂 I mean, it can be cool??? But it gets very old, very fast when everyone’s eyes are “the colour of the sky after a storm”. I mean, whut even. Just say THEY’RE BORING AND GREY. Ahem.
(We readers ARE fussy creatures. Omg. Seriously.)
Very interesting! I have trouble visualizing characters too, so I usually like when an author picks a few interesting things about a character’s looks to focus on rather than describing every tiny little detail about their face and body. Even writing my own characters, I focus on two or three interesting tidbits about a character.
~Sara
SAME! That makes it come more alive anyway, right?! And I also think mannerisms and quirks make a character stick out to me more than a detailed face analysis would anyway.
yes, yes, and YES Blobs all the way! Who needs a face when you could have a blob??!!! Plus its easy for me since I dont have to worry about every single facial feature that forms the character, I can just be like, wow, what a pretty blob. It will please me. Characters blend together. So many books. So many faces. Why can’t they all be blobs with different hair and clothes!?
Omg wow, what a pretty blob. THAT IS ME EXACTLY. 😂😂 Blob faces makes things easier anyway. That blob has brown hair and that blob wears a purple jacket and…yup. I’m good. No more identifiers needed.
OMG Cait!
Thanks for writing this. 😀
I thought I was the only one.
I feel the same way. I am not good in imagining character so yes it will be character with blob face.
Hahaha
We are clearly TWINS in this matter then, Hana. *gives you cake* And now I don’t feel so weird about only having blob faces in my imagination. 😂
Oh! I am so in love with this post! Its like you’ve read my mind and I have been coaxed out of my guilt closet! I always had such reader shame because YES I too have a hard time imagining faces. Its like…they are there and defined but…blurry so I can’t make our a definitive face….I always thought I was the weird one! And don’t even get my started on fan casting!
I prefer character details more so than not…it makes the blur less…blurry. Ha! Unless they are unfavorable descriptions like ….bad teeth or an unsavory hair length…I tend to lean towards personal preference over written description anyway with cherished characters. Whatever.
NOOOO DO NOT BE IN THE GUILT CLOSET. COME OUT FOREVER, RISA. We shall unite in our faceless-blob-imaginations. Seriously I can construct and entire fantasy world…but not imagine a character AT ALL EVER. 😂
I stay away from fan casting permanently now. It’s never right??? But I don’t even know WHAT IS right?? OMG #bookwormstruggles
I can hardly ever picture faces either. Though there are a few and they are probably the ones that have a good description. I like to know the colour of their hair (That is the main identifier I use for characters in my own writing) and eyes, and a few distinctive details if there are any, If someone is short it’s useful to know as I automatically imagine people being as tall as myself.
ME TOOO. Hair colour is important. *nods* I try not to focus on eyes in my own writing too much??? But it’s hard. 😂 Because eyes are so fun to describe even if IRL I think it’s a bit unrealistic. hehe. OMG and yes heigh is important too.
I’m still dying at the description of gorgeous ethereal Bob, hahahaha. I hate *those* kinds of descriptions, but yes, give me character description! See, I hate when characters end up as vague blobs in my head. If I have good descriptions though, it’s less likely that’ll happen.
And OHMYGOODNESS LONG HAIR REALLY IS PART OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. In fact, when you have long hair, it’s part of *everyone’s* lives because your hair inevitably ends up all over them and their cars and houses and clothes, and every time they find one of your hairs they automatically give you a death glare because they KNOW it’s yours, and they keep finding it for years even if you now live across the country lol.
But anyway, I really don’t care what movie people are going to do or other readers are going to picture, I just like having a clear picture for my own head. And the thing is, not having a description won’t stop me from picturing someone attractive. I’d rather actually have a description of the unattractive person (I read a book recently that did this and I was happy to finally not have a book filled with Adonises). Plus I don’t insert myself into the books, I see them more as movies in my head. So for me, description is pretty much all pros 🙂
(And just for the record, I probably couldn’t even tell you the eye color of people I’ve known my entire life lol.)
Ethereal Bob for the win. <3 WE LOVE ETHEREAL BOB. ahem. 😂
OMGGG YES TO THE LONG HAIR TROUBLES. My house feels like a permanent hairball because my sister still has long hair (like past her waist) and even though I cut mine all off (so it's like a bob now) I STILL FIND FREAKING HAIR EVERYWHERE. Our lives are a hairball. Hair in the food isn't even weird, it's just life. And let's not talk about the bathroom.😂 Thank goodness we don't have cats or anything or I think we all might smother in hair. XD
I like character descriptions, but only if it leaves some to the reader’s imagination. Like you, I prefer “less is more” descriptions. I hate grocery list type; I’ll just forget in the end. I think what’s important is differentiating the characters by their personality and what they bring to the table. If they’re not important enough, then they don’t really warrant much description, but if they affect the story, then they should be described/characterized by mannerisms, quirks, impressions (?) instead of just the physical description.
And yeah, I’ve tried looking at the “cast” on the pinterest boards and I’m like, “Eh? I pictured Ash differently…” 😀
EXACTLY! Personality is what’s important here and what makes the characters sound out. Like in real life too…. 😉 Mwhahaah. But I think it’s very hard to pull of a description that doesn’t sound awkward or forced or ridiculous. *sighs* Quirks and mannerisms mean soooo much more to me when reading.
I CAN’T DO FAN CASTS. 😂I have hard enough time when movies come out and I’m like “NOPE they did not look like that.”
I’m the same as you Cait, I roll my eyes at the piercing brown/blue eyes (why does no one have green eyes?) and the beachy waves and the well constructed six packs. I mean leave a bit to the imagination maybe? I’m terrible at remembering character descriptions and let their personalities define them.
Really?!? I read green eyes ALL THE TIME.😂 But omg I’m so so sick of the “piercing eyes”. Who’s eyes even pierce?!? Most people’s eyes are juts…eyes. In their head. Seeing stuff. OMG SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON THE EYES IN LITERATURE IT’S A BIT RIDICULOUS. And same! It’s the personality that’s important anyway and what sticks with me, not their fiery red locks.
I like having the character descriptions in books because honestly, and sadly, if they don’t say anything I will probably assume the character is white. Just like you said. Also, it gets hard to differentiate characters in your head if you don’t get any descriptions for them. That being said, if I don’t like the description I often change it in my head. I have this thing where I don’t like male leads with waist length hair. I just don’t like it. So if I see that description I have to force them to have shoulder length hair in my head.
On the flip side I don’t enjoying writing character descriptions. It often feels unnatural and awkward. This may say more about my character description writing abilities than anything, but it is kind of an awkward thing. Like when you meet someone you just notice their whole face and only bother to catalog things that are 1) extra nice or 2) really weird. Like when I met my not yet boyfriend my internal description of his face was “oh he’s cute.” That’s it. Imagine if that’s how people wrote descriptions??
And totally agree on the eye colour bit! I mean most people just have brown eyes, not like every second person you meet has purple with a silver lining, or blue and green mixed, or one brown eye and one blue one.
IT is annoying…but true, that the default is still kinda white. *sighs* Like my default is even AMERICAN and white which is crazy because, even as an Aussie, if I read a book and they do something Australian I’m like “WAIT WHAT COUNTRY IS THIS BOOK FROM”. Gah.
SAME FOR ME TOO WITH WRITING!! I actually rarely describe my characters? I never know where to slip it in so it’s natural and then I realise I’m like 70% through the book and no one looks like anything.😂 And agreed, also, like if you asked me to describe my family I don’t even know HOW I’d do it??? Description is hard. I think that’s why it tends to sound unrealistic and flowering in books sometimes?
Omg, or have like “grey-blue eyes like the sea after a storm” I MEAN WHAT EVEN!??! It’s grey. Just say grey. Move on. And plus some colour eyes are really hard? Like my dad has these weird greenish greyish eyes and I honestly know a book would go wild describing that, whereas in real life it’s like *squinting* “Idek what your eyes are”.
ME TOO! I’m in Canada but I always assume they’re American. And then they say something about Toronto etc. and I pause like ‘wait, what?’
I don’t think there’s any way to make the description natural unless you have a character that’s obsessed with their face and is always looking in mirrors and nitpicking and things. It’s worse in first person! I mean how many times do you just sit around and think about your features? Never!
Yuuupppp, those eyes would get all sorts of fancy descriptions like “The greenish grey of ivy crawling up a stone wall”.
I’m the opposite here!! I love to have vivid descriptions of characters… the clearer the image the author creates, the better. Although, if the description is overkill, my mind won’t retain it all. I want strong images, but delivered concisely. 😉
WELL HUZZAH THOUGH FOR YOU. Because I think it’s awesome how like readers (and writers 😛 ) like different things so we get a huge range of variety in literature. 😉
True. 😉
I consider myself quite visual so I do usually have a pretty solid idea in my head of what characters look like. That being said: rambling on and on about a character’s eye colour or hair or whatever can really bog down the story for me. I like passing, general descriptions and leave the rest to my vivid imagination thank you very much XD
YUP. I would agree with you here. Omg and repetition of their description?? Like the only important thing that matters about them is their azure eyes? *facepalm* That drives me batty.
Interesting topic, I’ve never actually thought about this! But, I prefer to read books that give some description so I can get a simple visual of who I’m reading about. I recently read a book that had no physical description of the main character and it drove me nuts! But, I’ve also read books that spend a ridiculous amount of time describing characters and that’s tedious to get through. I also get annoyed when an author gives us a description feature and then repeats it numerous times throughout the book (seriously, I don’t need to be reminded that the main character’s eyes are blue 8 times).
AGREED. It’s like there definitely needs to be a balance? Tedious descriptions are the worst…ughh, especially if all we GET is description and not actually quirks and complexities that make the character feel real. *sighs*
AND YES OMG. I will be forever frustrated when I hear the colour of their eyes 39839 times. -_-
I like having an ample description for characters. I feel more often than not I come across not enough description then I get that blob you’re talking about. XD Hair color, ethnicity, height, and age are the most important to me. And yes, Annabeth …. …. Is it too much to die her freakin’ hair? XD You’re an actress. You do what you gotta do. Notice how in the second one they fixed it. XD
AND THEY DYED ANNABETH’S HAIR IN THE 2ND MOVIE SO WHAT EVEN THE HECK WAS GOING ON WITH THE FIRST???? I seriously don’t think anyone read the books. -_- ahem. Endless ranting on that movie.😂
I LOVE ALL THIS. its so true. and i have never really imagined protagonists to look like me mostly because i don’t think that i look like me. BUT – i have imagined characters to look like people around me. and i write my friends and family into stories and don’t tell them. it took me all of the Lunar Chronicles to realize that i was imagining my best friend as Scarlet. no lie.
sometimes i love that authors implement description because the character and their overall demeanor totally goes with their looks, and the author does it right.
but sometimes i hate it because the author doesn’t know what they’re doing and they end up with discordant descriptions and screwy looking characters.
and i think i would be a piratey artist, if i could. why not mix the two and be Loki? 😀
OMGGG WE ARE LIKE TWINS IN THIS THEN. *hi fives* I don’t even meant to, like, insert familiar IRL faces into books? But I definitely do. And I also tend to imagine everyone rather Australian even though I know that they’re not.
Be a Loki Pirate Artist. < --- ULTIMATE GOALS.
I used to do horribly with description. Like, I’d read it, but my mind wouldn’t remember any of it, and then when the looks were brought up later I’d have to go AALLLL the way back and re-visualize the character.
So NOW when they’re a description, I read it meticulously, invent the person in my head… and promptly forget what they look like by the next chapter.
It’s completely different now.
Bahah, you are so different. So much better. 😉 I forget it as soon as I read it too, unless it actually impacts the story?! And then in that case I miiight remember it. BUT MOSTLY MY BRAIN FILLS BOOKS WITH BLOBS.
I actually really like character descriptions? Not long clunky ones that give you too much information, but prettily-written details that help me imagine the character a little better. I don’t know, it helps me get a better sense of who they are!
I totally understand, though!! Even if I do like less. ;D Because like what you wear and how you do your hair and all that kind of thing really does say a bit about who you are/your personality, too, right?! So it can really make the character be dimensional. *nods*
I definitely like the basics: hair color, eye color, etc. But I have to say, I don’t visualize much. Except, I am reading The Great Gatsby right now after I saw the movie with Tobey Maguire a few years back and CANNOT stop picturing the protagonist as Spiderman. I can’t help it. It’s becoming a real issue. And yes, CHARACTERS ARE BLOBS AND NOBODY REALLY NOTICES IF EYES ARE “OCEAN” OR “SAPPHIRE” BLUE IT’S JUTS BLUE.
Omg SPIDERMAN.😂 That is the best thing I’ve ever heard. All you need to do is watch the remake and that’ll REALLY confuse you.😂😂 Ahem.
OMG 100% AGREED ON THE EYEBALLS. Plus how many people even have “piercing” eyes or whatnot?!? I mean. Really.
I like a happy medium. Sometimes authors ruin the character for me with their descriptions. Like, I’ll have an image in my head then all of a sudden the author will be like “his crooked nose and curly hair” and for some reason in my head that will turn into a freakin’ mongoloid with the crooked-est (is that a word?) nose on the freakin’ planet with crazy hair.
Also, side note, WHY do AT LEAST 5 out of 10 male characters have to have a crooked nose?! Why do they even have to use the word crooked? Are these dudes getting in a lot of fist fights and breaking their noses? Do they have breathing issues? I just don’t get it.
Well, that was off track. Back to the topic. On the same token, I dislike too little description because, like you, they turn into blobs. OR, I have the same image in my head for every character.
ALSO ALSO, I’m glad I discovered your blog. It’s fantastic!
HAHAH. OKAY BUT I tOTALLY GET THAT!😂 I guess that’s why sometimes it’s good to have no character description? Unless it comes right up front *nods* And then it kind of settles in your brain more. But ohhh, I haven’t come across the crooked nose yet? The crooked smiles = YES. Everyone I read seems to have a crooked smile. WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!?! NUNNGH.
AHHH THANK YOU. <3 Your comments are the nicest. :')
What is said about eye descriptions in books is SO TRUE. I mean, come, not everyone has ocean blue/sunset purple/grass green with gold specks eyes.
EXACTLY. Like who even has all these gold specks and flakes that the books keep telling us about?!? Those eyes sound awesome and…totally unreal.😂
I always imagine protagonists to be myself xD which is awkward when it’s from a male’s POV. I’m just toodling along reading the story when all of a sudden this masculine character runs his hair through his curly dark black close cropped locks, and my blonde haired self is like, “WAIT WHAT NO”. But anyways, I am capable of imagining characters. I usually insert some famous person’s face or come up with my own thing. In my head, it’s like the characters are on a stage and the words are painting what they should do. I’m very visual. But I cant stand drowning in character descriptions.Seriously I related so hard to this—> “Gorgeous ethereal Bob has azure blue eyes like the sea in the autumn equinox” over and over and ooooooover. And it makes you want to stab Bob’s eyes out with a spork, <– TRUTH! I just read Clockwork Angel, and Cassandra made such A HUGE DEAL ABOUT WILL HERONDALE'S STUPID BLUE EYES. If you describe your character over and over again to the point where it's ANNOYING, that's no good. I get it. The hot guy's eyes are blue. MOVE ON.
And on the note of "do you notice the exact shade of someone's eyes when you first meet them?" my answer is no xD I've always kind of rolled my eyes at scenes where they notice so much about a person in one glance. Idk about you, but I'm awkward. When I first meet a person, I kind of avoid looking at them directly so it doesn't look like I'm studying their faces, you know? I don't want to be like, "Hello I just met you LET ME MEMORIZE EVERY DETAIL OF YOUR BODY!" It takes me a while to get to know a person's features. Just once, I want a character to be halfway through the book and be in some situation where they have to know the other character's eye color and they be like, "CRAP! I'VE KNOWN YOU FOREVER WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR EYES??" because that's real for me.
OMG I DO THOUGH!! I DO!! And I don’t think I really properly explained myself in the post? because I don’t particularly imagine the characters to look like me,…. just that I AM THEM. Particularly when it’s 1st person, but it happens for 3rd too!! I don’t find it awkaward though. 😂 I AM JUST AN EPIC pERSON WHO CAN BE ALL THE THINGS. EVEN DRAGON. HUZZAH.
Omg I forgot about Will’s blue eyes. I mean, HOW COULD I FORGET!!?? They were only mentioned 934839 times. -_-
Once I read a book where the girl was being attacked but noted the shade of her attacker’s eyes. I really..I just…nope. I cannot even right then. THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN. Even for my own sister, who I’ve known for 22 years…I didn’t even know her eye colour until this last year.😂
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who can’t picture characters at all! My mind actually tends to ignore character descriptions in books, just because I can’t picture it, so it doesn’t stick in my brain. It’s difficult as a writer, because I’m always being told I need to describe things better, especially the characters. And that’s when I realize that, years after I’ve begun writing a certain character…I don’t even know what color her hair is. LOL
Saaaaame. Omg we are like TWINS IN THIS, KATIE. My brain just dies and everyone is a blob with various colours of hair.😂
I am not really a creative/imaginative person, so I lean more to the side of more character descriptions. If a character is not described very well in the story, I will fill in the blanks with “default settings” due to my constant lack of imaginations. If I can get the basic descriptions, like hair and eye color, height, and race, then I would be happy.
But I am also really picky about when a character is described. I have read books where the main character is not described until a couple of chapters have passed, and I already have a mental image/smudge of what I think the character should look like. So, if an author waits a few chapters to finally show what the characters look like, I have to fight a mental battle to replace their new description with the one I already came up with.
On the other hand, I hate it when an author finds it necessary to remind me every other page that the love interest as “the clearest and most beautiful blue eyes,” “the most gorgeous hair the color of obsidian falling into his eyes”, or “the most attractive body ever”. Once you describe a character once, you do not have to remind the reader so many times! Sometimes, like you said, less is actually better than more description.
CAITTTT I HAVEN’T BEEN HERE IN FOREVER HIIIII.
But really, I think it depends. If they’re like, “His smile is radiant and his eyes are the color of ocean.” I think it’s definitely okay. But if they’re like: “He had blonde hair with wheat-colored highlights and a mole on his cheek, blue-green-purple eyes, and a perfectly perfect chiseled nose” I’m like, ALRIGHTTTT. Like, I love having their facial features all described nice but don’t overdo, you know? Lovely post as always!
*waves* HELLO PEACH. HOW ARE YOU. DO YOU NEED CAKE. (Obviously the answer to that is yes, so here is some for you.)
And definitely agreed *nods* I think describing their faces is a bit of a waste of time, tbh. But if it’s just a sentence or whatnot, I won’t complain. 😂 As long as it doesn’t sound too unrealistic or tedious!
So many great points! I think I am more bothered by a lack of description, especially if it’s a book where one character is extolling the physical attractiveness of the other character and then we don’t even understand what is the basis of such attraction!! However, I can definitely see where too much description would be a bad thing, as in tedious and unrealistic. So much to think about !!
Oh oh I really hate it when they’re all over the attractiveness and we don’t know WHY.😂 That is annoying. BUT YES. There’s definitely need for an even balance, right?!
I’m in favor of character descriptions for the most part. I like to see the characters that I’m reading about. I think my favorite would be the descriptions in the Harry Potter series. Rowling didn’t info dump; she just gave us quick, defining characteristics and left it at that– Hermione’s bushy hair. Ron’s freckled face and red hair. Harry’s round glasses, green eyes, and lighting bolt-shaped scar. Snape’s greasy black hair and hooked nose. That’s basically it. That’s all she needed. (Writing that made me want to re-re-re-re-re-read this series just now).
But then there are other books that drag out character descriptions, And I appreciate that the author has such a vivid and specific image of the character, but what does it add to the story? Not much, really. It’s kind of a distraction. And the worst? With the exception of Harry’s green eyes, I hate when authors write about eye colors. Why do I need to know this information? It’s not even something I pay attention to in real life. I couldn’t even tell you what color my boyfriend’s eyes are, and we give each other googly eyes all the time
I couldn’t agree more about JK Rowling’s style! IT WAS PERFECT. Just enough to define the characters, but also enough to leave us room to imagine them ourselves, right?!? That is definitely excellent writing. :’)
Eh, it’s when they go to describe the full lips and all that that I get lost. IT makes no impression on me at all (what even are “full lips” and why are authors so fond of them???😂) I also agree about the eye thing. *nods* I mean, as a writer, I’m guilty of putting emphasis on eyes too sometimes! BUT I TRY TO AVOID IT COmPLETELY NOW. Because I’m pretty sure, IRL, we do not see the secrets of each other’s souls through the shades of our eyes. -_-
I’m not very good at visualising characters, either, and I actually find that more description is not better for me. A few basics – hair/eye colour, ethnicity, general build, any particularly relevant characteristics – and I can just assemble a vague idea in my head, or just substitute the image of an actor with the same characteristics (I do this remarkably frequently. It’s kind of sad). When the author goes into more detail, though, my brain just kind of rebels and gives me something that looks a little like Mr Potatohead, where each feature’s just kind of stuck onto a generic face without being integrated into it like, you know, a human face.
We are like TWINS in this matter then, Nicola! *hi fives* General is better for me too, otherwise it’s just a waste of page space because I don’t take it in anyway. *sighs*
I like basic character descriptions of main characters. But as a writer, I feel like no words I’ll ever use will properly describe a face, so let’s not bother. I also like when descriptions are generic, like “handsome” which is probably to vague for some people but works great because then he gets to be my version of handsome and your version of handsome and they don’t have to be the same thing at all.
I also like when the description is folded into the story instead of being a block of exposition. I get bored by lots of description – of characters or settings or what have you.
And Divergent, totally got it wrong but also… it’s Theo James so they totally got it right 😉
Oh interesting topic! I hadn’t given it that much thought to be honest, but just like you I want some character description, but not an essay on the colour of their eyes. Like the colours of their skin and hair, and maybe a distinctive feature, or a feel of their clothing style, so that it’s easier to imagine them and they don’t all look like Slenderman (also yes I’m stalking your blog because I’m really behind, though I had no idea I was THIS much behind 😱)
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