You can describe a characters physical appearance in order
to give your readers an image of him or her. Hair color, eye color body build
and facial descriptions all let your reader know what your character looks
like.
None of those things tell what the actual character is like.
Simple things like their preferred dress can help. A character that
traditionally wears dark or black clothing might indicate that the character is
a ‘dark’ person. If a woman repeatedly dresses in flowery dresses or frilly
clothes, she might have a fun, flirty personality. Or if your female character
usually wears sophisticated business suits, then she must be intelligent and
business like. If she adds a blouse the shows a little and pairs it with a
smart skirt with a slit, then she’s also has her feminine side.
Facial expressions often indicate characters traits. Men
leering, women walking provocatively, smiling, sneering, etc. all give clues
too a particular characters personality. Help the reader understand what your
character is all about by using clues.
Provide some background information. Maybe your character
has flash backs to an earlier time in their life or a particular event. This
can help the reader understand your character better, help them understand why
the character acts the way they do. Perhaps they had a devastating or traumatic
event that made them completely opposite to what you’d expect.
The protagonist in a series of books by one of my favorite
authors is an Italian female. She loves to cook, especially if she’s under
stress. You can often ‘see’ her shopping for select ingredients for a meal
later that night. The character is under stress a lot. While she’s a chief
medical examiner, she’s almost always in the middle of a dangerous situation,
coming close to being a victim herself.
So beyond the physical descriptions let your reader know
what each particular character is like through their mode of dress, facial
expressions, how they carry themselves, and language use or dialogue.
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Happy writing!
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