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1st Person

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narphoenix:
OK, I've started writing original fiction, when I hit a big snag. I'm writing in the first person, and I'm trying to figure out how exactly to work a physical description of my narrator in without it seeming contrived. I tried finding out where Harry is first physically in Storm Front to get ideas, but I can't find it. Does anyone have any ideas?

o_O:

- Dance around it by describing other people and things in comparison to the narrator.    Duck under stuff or pull up chairs to reach stuff.   

- Write a shaving scene or a makeup mirror scene or a car seat adjustment scene or a clothing selection scene.

- Have other characters toss out tidbits.   "Yo Bigfoot!".   

- Notice that characters in close interaction (romance scenes and combat scenes) can offer huge clues.

LizW65:
Well, there's a school of thought that you shouldn't have any physical description of your characters whatsoever, but personally, I like to know a bit about what the people I'm reading about look like. To do it without it appearing contrived, though, that's the problem; stuff like "I swept the brush through waist-length ebony tresses and studied my reflection critically in the mirror, noting that my new black patent-leather corset and elbow-length lace gloves served to enhance the sparkling violet of my eyes" is going to make your readers roll their own eyes and gag, while no description at all can be kind of frustrating.
One option is to bring it into the reaction your narrator gets from other characters, e.g. "The guy at the end of the bar had been staring at me for a quarter-hour now. Either he was really into tall, flat-chested blondes, or I had some broccoli from dinner stuck between my teeth," or "I did my best to keep up with Larry, but his legs were a good ten inches longer than mine, and at twice his girth I was tiring fast."

the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
Mirror scenes are a bit of a cliche.

Environments where the narrator stands out enough to be consciously aware of it help, though.  Put an adult in a room full of toddlers, and you have a good reason to comment on the adult's height by comparison; put a person of one ethnicity or gender in a room largely full of people of other ethnicities or genders, and they can reasonably be self-aware about standing out.

the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:

--- Quote from: LizW65 on October 25, 2012, 06:52:23 PM ---Well, there's a school of thought that you shouldn't have any physical description of your characters whatsoever, but personally, I like to know a bit about what the people I'm reading about look like.

--- End quote ---

I find that pretty close to unworkable, fwiw. Having to leave out the potential for different social reactions to someone based on what ethnicity they are perceived as, and little identifying details like the difference between how comfortable a seat in an airplane is for people of different heights, and any possibility of people being mistaken for each other... there are way too many small things you lose.


--- Quote --- To do it without it appearing contrived, though, that's the problem; stuff like "I swept the brush through waist-length ebony tresses and studied my reflection critically in the mirror, noting that my new black patent-leather corset and elbow-length lace gloves served to enhance the sparkling violet of my eyes" is going to make your readers roll their own eyes and gag,

--- End quote ---

I'd find that a rather nice piece of characterisation, actually; indicating that a reader is meant to dislike a character isn't necessarily going to make them dislike the book.

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