![]() If you’ve read my latest post entitled Do You Make These 5 Mistakes When Describing Your Character’s Appearance? you already know what not to do. The following tips offer options for what you should do in describing your fictional characters. Let well-controlled dialogue describe your character naturally. Notice in the following excerpts that the dialogue is not contrived—it seems natural—and it also reveals how the characters feel about themselves or about each other. Excerpt from "A Type of Inoculation" by Yaasha Moriah“You just wait,” Elena said. “I’ll hardly be gone and you’ll have a slew of suitors on the doorstep just begging for your hand.” Excerpt from "The Memory" by Yaasha MoriahKamau glanced back at his passenger. “Is that haircut regulation?” Give a short, bite-sized description of each character. When possible, let the descriptions reinforce the story’s plotline (see the underlined portion in the Shiner excerpt). You’re not going to get all the relevant details in at one shot. That’s okay. Just go for the most important details. Excerpt from "Shiner" by Yaasha MoriahOne of my fellow pilgrims was a young man who appeared, from his fine clothes and authoritative bearing, to be nobly born. At the moment, he was drowsing with his red cap shading his eyes and his hands behind his head. My first glimpse of his face was disappointing--the incognito king I sought might be able to darken his hair, but he couldn’t change his eyes from brown to blue. Excerpt from "The Dry Queen" (working title) by Yaasha Moriah“Maka ‘Ike! Welcome to Plumeria!” Use contrast. If a character expects to see a certain set of features and finds the real appearance to be very different, you’ve just effortlessly described your character. (See the excerpt from Prism to see how this concept works to describe Jem.) Similarly, if two characters have very different appearances, use the situation as an excuse to contrast them. (See the excerpt from Shiner to see how this concepts works to describe the narrator.) Excerpt from "Prism" by Yaasha Moriah[Context: Will is struggling through a nightmare in which he is fighting the Red Hoods, a mysterious band identified by clothing, skin, and eyes, all of the color red. His friend Jem has come to rouse him.] Excerpt from "Shiner" by Yaasha MoriahWhen Watch heard what I wanted of him, he began giggling like a schoolgirl. Watch loves jokes and this one, to him, was a real ripsnorter. Important Tips
If you like something I wrote here, you are free to share/quote it with credit and a link back to the original page on my website.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Yaasha MoriahI write YA/adult fantasy & sci-fi that explores fantastic and interconnected worlds, with stories that burn through the darkest realities with hope and redemption.
Learn more here! Categories
All
Archives
March 2021
|