Question for a newbie

[Tyler]

I am writing an urban fantasy story but seem to be struggling a bit. The one question I have that's killing me is when does an author introduce the main characters physical appearance? I just find myself writing and writing but when I go back to read it I realize I have yet to describe what my character looks like. Is that something that should definitely be acknowledged in the very beginning or how should it work? Any answers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

[Martin]

I prefer to do it as soon as possible. I cement the image of the protagonist in the readers eyes as early as I can. Otherwise a reader can build an invalid image. They stumble when you later establish their actual description.

[K.P.]

is it first person or third? there are a variety of ways of getting character description in without resorting to looking in a reflection trope or getting dressed trope. you can describe how the MC's clothes appear on them doing something or have another character say something about how the MC looks. i hadnt had my coffee yet so this is what i can think up right now...

[Dwayne, Head of Lettuce]

Tyler wrote: "Is that something that should definitely be acknowledged in the very beginning or how should it work?"

Hi Tyler,

There are very, very few shoulds or definites in writing and this is one of those things. Describing your characters is a matter of style and choice. You could do it early on, you could wait until later in the story when there's not a lot of action. You could even do it gradually, giving a detail here and there as the story moves on. You really don't even have to describe your characters if you choose not to, although I think at least a brief description would be welcomed by most readers.

I try to get things like that out of the way as early as possible. I keep it brief and then get back to the story. But, really, it's up to you.

[Dwayne, Head of Lettuce]

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[Tyler]

K.P. I understand the coffee thing... I need mine too. The answers you all gave me however were exactly what I needed. The story is in first person. This is probably why I am so lost on how to describe the MC.

Martin the reader getting an invalid image of the character is my fear. So thank you for your advice.

Dwayne I like your style of describing the characters too. That definitely helps me build my own style in a sense.

[[deleted user]]

One problem with delaying the description is that the reader may form his own image of the character, and the description could jar him out of the story. Not a good thing, unless that's what you're going for.

[Tyler]

That's definitely not what I'm going for. So you guys are saying it would be good to get the description in the first chapter for sure but even better to do it in the first couple of pages? Right?

[Riley, Viking Extraordinaire]

Unless you want the readers supplying their own person, yes establish it fast.

[G.G.]

The best place to add it is where it feels the most natural. Readers will forgive the lack of description if the story doesn't call for it yet. However there's nothing as jarring as forcing a description where it shouldn't be.

It's hard, especially in first person. You can use the weather, such as the wind, to blow the hair/raincoat and reveal something about the character, but a normal MC won't stop and describe himself or herself. Let it come naturally. I think that's what is the most important.

Good luck.

[Dwayne, Head of Lettuce]

G.G. wrote: "It's hard, especially in first person."

It is, at that. In the two pieces I've published that are told in first person, I never did get around to describing the narrator character. In one of them, I didn't even give her a name!

[Christina]

I agree with GG in that using outside stimuli is the best way to describe a character in 1st person. You could have someone comment on a feature ("well, if you weren't so tall/short/fat/thin/blonde/etc...). You could use jealousy ('her bronzed locks were always silky and shiny. No amount of product would ever make my out of control ginger curls behave like that.") Or any number of things, but I agree with KP, the mirror and list have become such common tropes that they tend to be skimmed.

[Bob]

For a first person, you could have them looking out the window and catching a glimpse of themselves. Or a mirror. Or a photo that they have in a frame (perhaps with someone else too).

Even a flashback to when they were younger and having a person saying something about how they look just like their mother with their (blue eyes, blonde hair, etc) - or have them meet another person who could remark how they look different today.

Anyway, some ideas for you.

[Tyler]

G. G. That is great advice! Thank you. I never thought about drawing the picture in that way before. I think using what's around the character will actually help to create a more natural description than what I've been trying to do.

[T.L.]

It's up to you, but sooner rather than later.
You can drip feed a little. Start with something about their hair or eyes, and then a bit later drop in about other features/mannerisms.

I find an image online which matches what I think the character looks like, and save that in a file so I have something to refer back to.

Good luck.

[Ian]

Ken wrote: "One problem with delaying the description is that the reader may form his own image of the character, and the description could jar him out of the story. Not a good thing, unless that's what you'r..."

I agree with this. Especially if you have a key or distinguishing characteristic that you're going to mention later on, and doubly so if it's something unusual or the opposite of what a reader might naturally fill in for themselves in the absence of any other clues. Best establish it early on before the reader pictures something wildly different.

Also, I'm a fan of dribbling snippets of clues into the writing wherever it feels natural. I deeply detest stories where every character is introduced with a potted bio and physical characteristics. Makes me feel like I'm reading a character sheet, not a story, and I know I'm never going to remember it anyway!

On top of that, ask yourself how much do you really need to describe? For example, does eye color matter if you never mention it again?

[Kelsey]

I dropped my description at a spot where it flowed, and while it was a mirror trope, there had been details put in prior to give an idea of her. The mirror scene itself was all about showing insecurities of who she was.

I also brought in to play the description of her best friend and then the comparisons my MC made between the two, an instance where she's doing her hair and describes how she'd finally found a style to fit her despite how indecisive she was.

I've read books where it's taken the author 5 full chapters before they've fully described their character and others where it was done in 10 pages. I definitely agree with G.G. that is needs to flow otherwise you're pulled out trying to think things through.