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Descriptions....

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Sir Huron Stone:
I'm having trouble finding ways to integrate character descriptions into the story. I don't want to just toss them in there, but I can't figure out a way to fit it in there. Help?

Snowleopard:
What writer does descriptions best in your opinion - see how they do it.
Terry Pratchett's early books are wonderful for descriptions of his characters.
Lemme see - he uses this description of Ankh-Morpork's Patrician - "The man had eyes everywhere, and none of them so terrifying as the icy blue ones just above his nose."
Use another character's opinion and/or view of the character you're trying to describe as a vehicle for your descriptions.
Have the character do something that reveals something about him.
JB has fun with Harry's height or Murphy's lack of it.

meg_evonne:

--- Quote from: Sir Huron Stone on February 09, 2012, 06:11:09 AM ---I'm having trouble finding ways to integrate character descriptions into the story. I don't want to just toss them in there, but I can't figure out a way to fit it in there. Help?

--- End quote ---
Hey there Sir Huron! I haven't seen a post from you in awhile. I'm up late. When I'm on vacation, my writing rips up my time clock.

I agree with Snowleapord on exploring writers who do what you like. I wonder if your descriptions are irritating because they don't mesh in nicely among your action and dialog. Are your descriptions furthering the action? If a description doesn't reveal intimate details about the characters and thus further the plot, then I would rather leave them out.

Is the voice gravely, because your character is a down to earth sort? Does their over the top neatness show how anal retentive they are? Does that young girl have something off that signals a Carrie blowup is going to come eventually?  Other examples, let's see--no neck so head rests on a freaking concrete block. Or her fingers were elegant, but her nails curved like deadly spears. Make sure you are using all the senses like smell, touch, hearing etc to make the descriptions more visceral too. A gutter snipe without BO is... well, sanitized! A fine aristocratic lady without her floral scents is probably just a milk maid. A milk maid without a little pungent cow manure  on her boots, same thing.

I think of JB and his goon descriptions--always delicious. Ian Rankin's descriptions always gain a color highlight and notations in the books, so I can go back and study them. Charles Dickens' work drips character revealing description like hot fudge on a Sundae. Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald's--same thing.

My guess is that right now they aren't integral, because they aren't yet written as integral parts that further the character and the plot. Or I'm full of horse radish...

You'll get some cool ideas here as folk post. One or two of them will click with YOUR style. And I look forward to seeing that icon of yours a bit more often in this section!

LizW65:
Agree about Terry Pratchett.  Another writer who did wonderful character descriptions was P.G. Wodehouse; in one of the Jeeves and Wooster novels, Bertie's uncle, Tom Travers, is described as resembling "a pterodactyl with a secret sorrow."
One of the less clunky ways to get character description into your story is to incorporate it into the action, i.e. "Alice took a moment to pull her long blonde hair back in a ponytail and exchange her Christian Louboutin spike heels for sensible running shoes before strapping on her shoulder holster." or
"Bill's blush contrasted horribly with his bright red hair."
Of course, some authors, such as Elmore Leonard, maintain that you shouldn't describe your characters at all.  I don't necessarily agree with this, but I suppose it all depends on your individual style.

Sir Huron Stone:
Hm. I'll have to check out some books form the local library it appears. :D But yeah. For me, it's hard to put in the description without breaking the flow of the scene. And I'll definitely check out books by those authors you guys mentioned.
Thanks for the help.

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