Character Descriptions are something that a lot of writers struggle with. We can picture them in our head but explaining them to others is like a mountain we have to climb. In this blog post I'll throw you a rope to help in your efforts of describing body type. For body types you'll use a lot of adjectives like heavy or dainty and lean or stalky. Below is a list of adjectives that I recommend looking through to insert into your work in progress. There are so many more that you can use, this list is not exhaustive but it's a good start. You can describe parts of the body for example: "he had a square jaw and narrow nose." Another way you can describe the body is by form and shape. You would rarely use some of these, you wouldn't say: "her lollipop figure sauntered up to him." But you might say: "Her hourglass figure caught his eye." It's really all about what flows and what doesn't. I didn't find a male version of this chart but in short it's your standard shapes: rectangle, oval, triangle, square and rhombus. You wouldn't want to use these to describe their body type often. Instead you'd describe parts of their body such as squared up shoulders, scrawny legs, and so forth. Now here are some examples. She had an hourglass figure. Her arms were lean but stronger than they looked. As a undercover agent, she could take down anyone. Her lines were parallel with barely a curve in her stalky body. But the black dress made her look light and beautiful. Perhaps the most beautiful feature was the bright smile that accompanied her look. He sized the man up. His broad shoulders looked like they could throw a good punch, but his delicate hands revealed they'd never seen violence.
I hope you had a great time reading about describing body type. Remember you can describe the body without making it intimate. Keep it classy guys. I can't wait till next time where we go through facial features.
0 Comments
Currently at Chapter 6 of Fawkes by Nadine Brandes. Honestly Nadine Brandes is my favorite author. She's a Christian who intertwines Christian themes into her books like a pro. She is a master story teller with amazing descriptions that send chills down my spine. As a writer, I strive to be as descriptive as her.
So far Thomas Fawkes has made his way to London in search of his father who can carve a mask for him. With that mask, Thomas can take the color test and bond with a color thus giving him control of that color. If he bonds with brown he can manipulate anything brown like move dirt and dig secret tunnels. But he has eyes for grey and grey alone. For if he controls grey he can stop the stone plague that has infected his eye. The story has twists and turns and has you on the edge of your seat from page one. You instantly fall in love with Thomas Fawkes and want him to grow and succeed. What a wonderful work that Nadine Brandes has put together, I can't wait to finish. "Eyes are the windows to the soul," that's what people say. So you want to be sure to describe them well. Your description of your character's eyes should give readers a glimpse into their soul. In this blog I'll be explaining how to write eye descriptions that bring your character to life. You may be wondering what else there is to eyes besides the main colors: brown, blue, and green. Well let's start with color. There are so many color variations and this isn't even including all the fantasy colors like red, gold, purple etc. Take a look at the chart below and think about which color you see in your character. If you're trying to figure out an eye color that's unique try looking at jewels and name them after gemstones. "Her eyes were two rubies" is more descriptive than just red. Think of regal things or at least positive things when you describe eyes. There are some times when negative words to describe eyes and this would be when you're describing the villain. "Her eyes were two coals, black like her heart." Now let's take a look at the different shapes and positions of eyes. There are many different positions that our eyes can be set in. Most times you won't need to describe this aspect of your character's face but sometimes, like when another character is fascinated with them, you'll want to put this in. Some of these descriptions are going to be hard to incorporate into your work and make it seem natural. You'll have to get creative. Instead of saying "His deep-set eyes looked on in horror," maybe say "His sunken eyes looked on in horror." You'll most likely want to add an emotion onto your description of the eyes. This brings the soul into connection with the eyes. Below is a chart of emotions from basic emotions to complex, I would suggest being as specific as possible. Now for the fun part, examples. These examples are not perfect and I don't claim to know everything there is to know about character description, I'm still learning just like you. His downturned eyes looked at her with sorrow. She couldn't take her eyes off the chestnut spheres. Her eyes were upturned and captivating. The raven color drew you in so deep you thought you'd lose yourself. Her young bright eyes were like two sapphires that pierced into your soul with her desperation.
And there you have it. Character descriptions for eyes. Don't forget how important the eyes are. They open up your characters to one another. Hope you enjoyed this blog post. Let me know in the comments what you thought. Stay tuned for more character description advice. |
AuthorDarby Rand published her first book in 2019. She's been writing stories and advice long before then. She loves helping authors grow and hopes that this blog will be a stepping stone for you in your writing journey. ArchivesCategories |