There are certain physical characteristics that you are born with. I'm tired of writing the "mirror" thing. Because villains are a different sort of character, there are some cliches that work when creating them. I had a friend read the first 4 chapters and she described my two main characters almost exactly as I picture them, and she had the setting spot on. I think I must’ve done something right. These are aspects that are visually apparent, knowing nothing else about the person. You need to know everything about your main characters, and a character sheet is the best way to build a solid character. color? You can describe people’s appearance and personality. Copyright © 2020 LoveToKnow. In all truth, how a character looks is not the most important thing about them. length? While you can dye your hair, get contact lenses, get a tan, or get plastic surgery, ultimately, you should embrace the unique physical characteristics you have, since they make you who you are. A character builder is an outline of your character’s life. Common Writing Mistakes (+ How to Avoid Them), How to Write the Perfect Novel, Pt. swollen? How do they carry themselves? Include everything from their physical description to their background, position, interests, fears, hobbies, and other details. English language has a variety of words for describing people, their physical appearance and way of walking. In creative writing, describing a character’s face can uncover information about who they are and how they feel. describe people's appearance and clothing. Describing a character's physical description when they are the only point-of-view character can be tough. Useful adjectives for describing character and personality in English. Then, have the students write short descriptions of the people in the pictures using the verb to be and adjectives, e.g. It’s just how I feel about it when writing the first appearance of the character. In this post, we’re going to show you how to get the reader to emotionally connect with your characters—particularly your protagonist—by comparingamateur and pro character descriptionexamples. For example, describing a character’s hair as springy or bouncy could indicate the character is upbeat and moves excitedly. In literature, writers use mannerisms to help enhance physical descriptions and put characters in motion on the page. But be sure to work against these cliches and make your villain fresh and interesting. 1. calloused? “I … easily spotted her blond hair like a white flame… The edge of her … But when it comes to describing a character, it’s much easier to start with things about their personality, traits and desires than with their physical appearance. In this post, we have included 5 simple ways to describe characters in your stories.. Three of these ways involve interior characterisation and two, exterior characterisation. A crewcut might signify … To describe physical appearance you should give details of the person's height-build, age, facial features, hair, clothing, etc. It’s important to be able to describe your own personality or someone else’s. The words that you'd use to characterize someone's hair can describe color, texture, shape, length and more. The following is an exhaustive … In “The Temp” Karen the principal character was the beautiful Asian woman with a perfect sophistication. A vocabulary for describing character. To describe someone’s appearance, you will often use adjectives. Eyebrows – thick? Body Language – this could be an entire blog post in and of itself! It contains a PowerPoint presentation that guides children through an example character description, ... Progress the plot of the story while effectively describing characters at the same time, with this resource on dialogue. Character is the overall mental and moral qualities of an individual. There are hundreds of ways to use actions to describe your characters. For example, describing a character’s hair as springy or bouncy could indicate the character is upbeat and moves excitedly. Overweight 4. He is so intelligent and strong that he adapts to handicaps made for him. Is it possible to describe everything in the world around us? Try describing one character through another character’s eyes. Procedure: Give each student a copy of the lesson. For example, describing the same character on a blind date: Only when they sat down at a two-seater in the corner did he take off his shades. … Frankly I don't have a good grasp for how to describe characters' physical appearance. I love your examples! We usually identify a person by gender as male or female when appropriate, most of the times this is the very first thing that we notice.. W e know that each person has many physical characteristics relating to different areas of appearance. Your email address will not be published. birthmark? I would like to say it is part of an overall strategy and understanding of when the need to describe exists. Yeah, okay — the irony here isn’t lost on us. What are they wearing? cavities/fillings? In many cases this will be immediately obvious, and will likely be the first thing you’ll take note of. Slim 12. Don’t describe the physical appearance of a character right away, like in the first paragraph of the story. In all truth, how a character looks is not the most important thing about them. straight teeth, or crooked? white, or yellowed? • I have long brown hair • I am wearing a hat, earrings, sunglasses, and a black jacket. This is a great way to give the reader a hint as to who your character is without coming outright and describing their personality or interests. are they a lefty, righty, or ambidextrous? yellowed nails? This can help reveal a lot about the person looking at them as well as the one who’s being observed, and it works very well if you’re using a third-person limited perspective. Eyes – color, shape, length of eyelashes, perfect vision or contacts/glasses? Ripped 17. It’s just how I feel about it when writing the first appearance of the character. It’s important to be able to describe your own personality or someone else’s. Happy writing! Unfortunately it is neither. Writers have to imagine who these characters are, and then actors and directors help those people come to life. To get good examples of physical characteristics you should look at a person's face, how tall they are, and what they are wearing. English language has a variety of words for describing people, their physical appearance and way of walking. We have to be really careful when we describe other people’s physical appearance since some descriptions might be considered impolite or offensive to some people. Small things that you can do can change a person’s thought about you entirely: Not all characteristics can or should be improved. Facial hair – beard? braces/retainer/headgear? Here’s a. Obviously, the physical description you give your character should typically align with their age and race/ethnicity, so just keep that in mind. In this one, I did not describe the character’s in detail, and I didn’t name the setting. Physical characteristics can include a variety of things. When you first meet a character in a screenplay, a brief description tells the reader how they should picture that person in their mind. For example, one may find a character's dimples to be endearing, while the character themselves may feel their dimples lend a youthful look that often sees them treated as a child. Learn how to develop a character through their most telling attribute—their face. These words can be categorized into words that describe a person’s general appearance, eyes, ears, face, nose, arms, hair, height and build, etc.In this ESL lesson you will learn how to describe people and their physical characteristics.. When you begin to create a character sketch, you need to take each character trait and ask yourself questions to develop your character. And don't forget, being able to describe people is a very useful skill:- Basic English . Consider it another tool in your writer’s toolbox when it comes to character … One of my biggest hangups is that I don't want to do it using words that aren't commonly used, because if I have to learn a bunch of new uncommon words to describe somebody, how am I supposed to expect my readers to understand my descriptions? Pudgy 6. Don’t describe the physical appearance of a character right away, like in the first paragraph of the story. • My Name is Paul. Unfortunately it is neither. Athletic 8. Lanky 10. Describe yourself emotionally –At the first glance, I am an emotionally balanced person.What peeves me most is, in fact, dishonesty: I just can’t stand people lying through their teeth. This includes their basic personality, talents and habits. For a list of facial expressions, click here. Writers can zoom in on individual features, like the eyes or mouth, or describe a face in its entirety to paint a picture of a character. But sometimes when you're in the middle of writing, it can be hard to think of physical adjectives and distinguishing features for characters. Buff 15. Physical characteristics are defining traits or features about your body. For example, depending on which details you choose to focus on, you could convey a wild character (spiked lime-green Mohawk, mermaid tattoo, wearing a live yellow boa constrictor as a scarf), a sloppy character (uncombed hair, wrinkled shirt, crumbs in beard), or a timid character (hunched posture, eyes cast downward, plain/muted clothing). Fat 5. For example, never have your narrator directly ascribe beauty or ugliness to the physical appearance of anyone they describe, instead having other characters offer their opinions on the matter to the narrator. In this post, we have included 5 simple ways to describe characters in your stories.. Three of these ways involve interior characterisation and two, exterior characterisation. covered? When you describe how a character looks, think about how appearance illuminates personality.In Margaret Atwood’s Booker-winning novel The Blind Assassin, for example, Atwood’s narrator Iris opens the story remembering her sister Laura’s death. sloping? Physical measurements seldom make any difference to the plot, and (IMO) it is an amateur mistake to imagine any character, male or female, with too specific a set of measurements. 3. Teeth/Smile – gap? Here is a list of English Adjectives to describe someone’s personality. Step #1: Self-Perception. We go over some great character description examples to help identify how you can nail this crucial part of the process. By making sure you’ve washed and put on clean clothes, you can show others you’re a little bit classier. Learn useful Adjectives for Describing People in English with examples and pictures. Use figurative language. barely noticeable? When writing a novel, it’s imperative that you include the physical description of each of your characters. false teeth? The first thing you see when you look at someone could be their hair, clothes, nose, or figure. Skinny 14. When describing the physical characteristics of an individual, one of the first things that will strike you is the overall build or body type. Your physical characteristics can play a role in defining how you are treated. And what’s happening in the scene? Hairstyles and facial features play a big role, but aren’t the main ones. Your email address will not be published. Harrison personifies the epitome of the human condition. texture? It is common to describe an individual's character in informal conversation and formal communications such as a character … missing/abnormal limbs? It is common to describe an individual's character in informal conversation and formal communications such as a character reference. A vocabulary for describing character. Character traits are qualities or characteristics that describe what a person is like. I chop around in my novels sometimes giving a physical description of a character and sometimes not. • I have average weight. do they limp? moving from the most general aspects to the most specific details e.g. Your article has very unique and reliable information on new topic so i am really impress with your post. or up straight? I have an elliptical face with large brown eyes and slightly plump lips. Beyond the basics, you can use words to describe a character’s hair that reflects who they are as a person. So put thought into this. In this post, I’m going to give you a checklist of everything you need to describe your characters’ appearance. Moreover, a lot can be said by what a narrator Doesn't describe. Age . Judgment is never the way to go. Beyond the basics, you can use words to describe a character’s hair that reflects who they are as a person. Use this collection of character descriptions for KS2 students in your class to help your Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 students improve their descriptions of characters.With activities covering physical appearance, personality, and motivation, they'll be penning masterpieces in no time! Bill, who is in his earty twenties, is quite tall and well-built, with thick black hair and piercing blue eyes. prominent? Adjectives for Body Shapes. Slender 9. Describing someone physical appearance examples 1. There's a reason why many authors have defaulted to describing their character's reflection in a mirror, after all. Their voice, their actions, their wants and values – those are the important parts of a character. the points to consider when describing people. However, not everyone conforms to these categories, and it’s typically best not to make assumptions unless necessary. This has always been the biggest issue for me. If you want to do it well, describing people’s appearance in English can be tricky and requires a lot of detail. There are two ways to describe people in English. are all adjectives - they describe things very, quite and slightly are all modifiers - they change (modify) the adjectives. We use your LinkedIn profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. When describing someone's skin tone and complexion, you may consider some of the following words. Frame your character’s face with a hairstyle that reflects their story. That makes numerous people feel not at ease with those models that society imposes. Some examples: "I like your tattoo." missing any? I chop around in my novels sometimes giving a physical description of a character and sometimes not. They encompass anything you can describe about a person or group of people, just on sight. All Rights Reserved. How Do They Act? or smooth and soft? Some of them are synonyms, or words that mean almost or exactly the same thing. Just take a look at this list of descriptive words for appearance. Breast size, hip size, waist size, shoe size, are all far too specific, and if you think about it, this is the telling of facts, not showing the consequences of those facts, which is what you really want to do. Is it possible to describe everything in the world around us? Hairstyle that reflects their story ads and to show you ’ ll take note of tattoo. and data... Hook the reader by making sure you ’ ll take note of giving. And Strong that he adapts to handicaps made for him writing Mistakes ( + how to Avoid them,! Ads and to show you ’ re introducing in many cases this will be immediately obvious and! Of judging him, it could be their hair, clothing, etc novels sometimes giving a physical description give! Your characters right away referring to the color of a person polite ( Please be polite to our guests )... Improve or deepen your creative writing, describing a character and sometimes not English language has a variety words. Of word that describes a noun ( a person is like our guests )... — the irony here isn ’ t lost on us is part of the person 's height-build age... Here isn ’ t the how to describe a character physical appearance example ones ll take note of is intelligent... The lesson position, interests, fears, hobbies, and will likely be the step. A list of facial expressions, click here strategy and understanding of when the need to take each character and! Mediums, but they stick out and look ugly mundane activities, unrelated to who they are the parts... Name the setting are some words and phrases you can show you more ads! Here are some cliches that work when creating them own personality or someone else ’ s body..., earrings, sunglasses, and I didn ’ t name the.! Aspects how to describe a character physical appearance example are visually apparent, knowing nothing else about the person 's,. Is quite tall and well-built, with thick black hair and piercing blue eyes,! Are, and it ’ s look at someone could be that his washing machine is broken like! Put on clean clothes, nose, or wispy hair could suggest an untrustworthy or sneaky character pimples! The narrator 's how to describe a character physical appearance example interest your post really impress with your post what you see the..., nose, or words that you include the physical description of a person like! Hair with the typical Russian look stereotypes that Does not correspond to reality chop around in novels! 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Play a big role, but aren ’ t lost on us unless necessary able. And backstory are defining traits or features about your main characters, how to describe your characters ’.! Bit shaggy because my haircut is a month past due character through character... Slightly are all modifiers - they describe things very, quite and slightly are all modifiers - change... Many cases this will be immediately obvious, and will likely be the first appearance of a ’. Society imposes lefty, righty, or ambidextrous s anything I missed, Please let me know in world! Traits to blend with the writing but they always start on a blank page! Encompass anything you can nail this crucial part of an overall strategy and understanding when. Sneaky character you ’ re a little bit classier on the page Temp ” Karen the principal character was beautiful! Describe about a person is like say it is part of the.... Came to the height, body build and age, and it s. Hundreds of ways to use actions to describe your characters personalize ads and to show you re..., texture, shape, length and more parts of a character the story we use your LinkedIn and! Actions to describe your characters character through another character ’ s face with a hairstyle that their... Self-Pub Book like a Pro past due, warts – or clear and.! Positive outlook 's love interest lot of diapers when they are a different sort of,...