Tattoos, Birth Marks and Scars - Character ER
When we introduce a new character in a story, we (should) describe their facial features (sharp cheek bones, hooked nose, straight eyebrows, etc.), skin/hair/eye color, and body (slender, curvy, petite, tall, stocky, etc.), but we should look past the common traits and get a little more intimate with our characters.
Going beyond the normal descriptions can paint better images of our characters, and also make them not just more relatable but also memorable.
One of my characters in a WIP had a slight gap between her front teeth and a freckle on the bridge of her nose.
Avrianna Heavenborn (introduced in Ghost of Death) the MC in my unpublished series has a slightly crooked middle finger with a freckle on it. She got that from me. ;)
One of my characters has this tattoo.Image from Wikimedia
Both of my characters in my wrestling romance story have tattoos with meanings personal to my characters.
And in my Disaster Crimes series, Beth has a scar across her chest from a tree branch that cut her in Hurricane Crimes.
When it comes to your characters, think about their personality and job to figure out if a tattoo, birth mark or scar could enhance their appearance.
For example: a strong hero could have a scar cutting through his eyebrow. A quirky teenager could have a tattoo of Perry the Platypus. And a sexy woman could have a freckle between her breasts.
We aren’t clean slates. We have imperfections and body art, so let’s give them to our characters too!
QUESTION: Do any of your characters have noticeable tattoos, birth marks or scars? Do you?
I have a dragonfly tattoo on my arm and a foot long scar across my right side from spine surgery.
Published on February 22, 2016 04:00
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