Character Descriptions: A rant (and tips to improve how you describe your characters)

 Don't you just love it when the singular physical distinguishable trait a male lead has is his 'brooding not like other guys personality'? Or when the a female lead is described as: brown hair and Asian. Could you be a bit more basic? This description would have been fine, had the woman in question not been the main character of the book. I mean, I have even read a book where the author compared the female lead to Jessica Rabbit for her curvy body, and gave no other details about her whatsoever. I mean why would I want to know that her hair is actually straight when I can spend an year and a half thinking it is curly?

And what is it about all the character descriptions in modern romance book being EXACTLY THE SAME? It's like I am reading a google form, not a novel.

1. Hair Color - Raven Black
2. Eye Color - Brown with golden flecks
3. Patek Phillipe Watch (for males): Yes __     No__
4. Height - 6.7 feet

Take a look at this gem:

The beautiful redhead has been a thorn in his side since they met, but she also consumes his thoughts in a way no woman ever has.

Some people might take it as a compliment, but when you were a redhead with double Ds, the constant comparison got old fast, and he knew it.

“I’ve always liked redheads,” Clara said, drawing me back to a conversation I didn’t want to have. “Maybe because The Little Mermaid was my favorite Disney movie growing up.”

It was impossible for an actual human being to have hair that red, eyes that fierce, and curves that lush. Supernatural hijinks were the only thing that made sense.

(By the way, thank you Ana Huang)

Okay, fine, I get it. Her hair is RED. Am I supposed to know its length? Texture? Hairstyle? Or is that all I get?

Moving on to our male leads. Honestly, this deserves an entire different post in itself. What is it about all the male leads in every freaking romance novel written by a thousand different authors THE EXACT SAME?

At this point, you hear husky voice, messy black hair, pure muscled body, you instantly know this guy stars in a romance novel and 'doesn't do romance'. I have probably read about ten romance novels in the past month and I honestly can't differentiate between any of their male leads. I am just saying, there is a broader variety of men that can be attractive. Take Timothee Chalamet for example.

Now I know I said I hate google forms character description, that doesn't mean I approve this:

Wearing one of her black full sleeved tops and brown maxi skirts, a black ribbon choker around her neck, brown lip stick on her mouth, black eyeliner outlining her odd violet eyes, hair in a fishtail braid, silver danglers dangling from her ears, silver ring piercing her nose, and the multi-colored bracelet on her left wrist she never took off except to recharge, Corvina felt most like herself.

We get a choice between google forms and rejected Harvard essays. Lovely. 

I am not saying you don't have to detail your characters, because you do, just don't giveaway all those details in one paragraph. That is known as info-dumping, and an average reader will just skim through the paragraph without registering any of the details into their head. You need to give this information in bits and pieces, like that multi-colored bracelet could have been used as an interesting detail to add more depth to the character, yet it was never mentioned again in the book.

It is important to give your characters depth, not just in their personality and thoughts, but also their physical appearance. Tell the readers about that mole on the character's cheek, or how their greasy their hair is. Tell us how fine or how unkept the character is. Tell us if the character wore perfume that particular day or not.

Moving on, here are my descriptions of some random Pinterest images.

1.

They told me she played the guitar. Affirmative, seeing the dark, dusty guitar case she carried on her back. Unless that was merely for show. Her clothes were artistically torn, matching the vibe the of the ink running down her left arm, as if underground fights were her pastime. But her skin was flawless, not a blemish, nor a scar, the shade which probably glowed in the night. I wouldn't believe she had ever been hit, let alone been in a real fight. When she spoke, her voice was raspy and deep, not something you would expect from a musician. I wonder if music is another one of her facades.

2.

The shadows of the night are meant to hide you, why then was she glowing in the darkness? Dimming the city lights behind her, perhaps even making the moon jealous. Her hands rested on the railing, her bold, black dress flowing on her body as the dark waters of the lake behind her. She tipped her head towards the sky, her brown hair cascading down her back like the waves of a turbulent sea.

She smiled, as if talking to the stars, making me suddenly feel like an outsider. As if I was intruding a private conversation. Maybe I was. Maybe stars were the only beings having high enough positions to hold a conversation with her.

3.

She looked at me with imperceptible disgust as I sat down opposite to her. Satisfaction slowly cut a smile across my face. I had not expected her to eat at the Cavier Cadence, especially not alone. What did not surprise me however was the book in her hand, which she went back to reading after an exasperated sigh. Her book was probably more interesting to her than telling me off for ruining her evening.

I ordered some entree eyeing her with contempt, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. You don't come to the Cavier and read, that's what libraries are for. Then I noticed her hair, styled to perfection, falling in slight waves down her head. She wore a white silk dress, showing a considerable amount of cleavage. Her nails had been done, black with slight amount of glitter.

There was no doubt, she had been stood up. 

Well, at least the guys she dated were smart.

4.

The moment I think I have finally understood people, someone has to waltz into my life and prove everything I have been working on wrong.

I glare at him, silently fuming at how serene his world looks. People are hurrying, gripping their tickets tightly, kids are crying at the top of their lungs, tempers are barely being kept under check. But to him, its as if the world around doesn't exist. As if this train is a mere dream and whatever he is looking at out of the window is what truly exists. Sunlight dances on his face, his eyes alight with amusement. Stray strands of dark hair fall on his forehead. I try to see what he is looking at, but there is nothing.

Now, if you noticed, all of my descriptions were from an outsider. If you write paragraphs of description of a character from the perspective of another character, it is mainly excusable, but there is a condition. Notice how my descriptions give as much details about the subject, as the narrator? However, the descriptions of the subject is mainly physical, but a lot about the narrator's personality or what they feel about the person they are describing, can be seen.

When you write about your character from the perspective of another character, you have to remember not to drone on an on about merely the facts. You have to remember to write this character in the eyes of the narrator. Keep their personality in mind, their prejudices, their limits and their feelings. What kind of day is your narrator having? Do they stick to facts or do they focus on emotions?

Giving the narrator depth is as important as giving your character depth.

On that note, let me conclude. Just remember to make your characters detailed yet simple to remember. Make them memorable. You know your characters best, so, maybe not everything I have said applies to your characters. Just take away tips you find useful.