Learning how to write character descriptions is a crucial component of portraying your protagonist and villain (and peripheral characters!) to your readers. Your reader will be better able to experience their characterization when they have a face to go with the name, as well as personality traits.
However, gone are the days of pages describing the details of your character’s appearance. While extensive exposition worked a century ago, it no longer fits the attention spans of today. Simply turn to the first page of a classic novel and compare it to page one of a recent New York Times bestseller.
Stylistically, the novels are much different. In this blog, I teach you how to write character descriptions that both portray who your character is while also keeping the attention of your reader.
How to write character descriptions: what you learn
- What is an example of a character description?
- How to make a description of a character?
- How do you write a descriptive paragraph about a character?
- How to write a description of a person, examples?
What is an example of a character description?
A classic example of how to write character descriptions emerges in Jane Austin’s description of Mr. Bingley in her beloved novel, Pride and Prejudice.
“He was quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremely agreeable, and, to crown the whole, he meant to be at the next assembly with a large party…[he] was good-looking and gentlemanlike: he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners.”
Now take a look at Percival Everett’s description of James’ wife in the New York Times bestseller of the same title. “She was soft and her lips were soft, but her hands were as rough as mine from work in the fields, though still gentle.” For today’s writers, how to write character descriptions often centers on the idea that less is more.
Bonus tip if you can use description to portray not just what your protagonist (or another character) looks like, but their literal character as well. Everett does this superbly with his last phrase, above. Learning how to write character descriptions is a talent to develop!
How to make a description of a character?
How you describe your character depends on a myriad of factors, including how much you want to leave up to the imagination of your reader. Some writers prefer to use just one word to describe a character, while others prefer to layer in more extensive description. Regardless, here are sixteen ways you can learn how to write character descriptions.
1. Backstory
You can drop hints about a character via their backstory. For example, consider this line. “He wore his suit like he’d been a businessman in another life.” Discovering how to write character descriptions can be this simple.
2. Age
While specific age doesn’t always matter, it’s crucial for readers to know what time of life their character is in. Part of learning how to write character descriptions is understanding the importance that age plays in the plot.
For an example of this, consider Katniss Everdeen’s experience in The Hunger Games series versus the peripheral character of Mags.
3. Heroes and villains
The opposing character can do a lot to help you in how to write character descriptions. A villain could mock your hero, and a hero could point out a flaw in the villain. This all describes character.
4. Physicality
Learning how to write character descriptions can tremendously impact your story structure. Consider writing about a five foot, ten inch tall aspiring gymnast. Physicality itself presents as an obstacle to overcome.
5. What’s their diet?
A character in modern day New York eating pizza and going to the pub every weekend presents differently than the same character drinking an espresso and spending their weekends cooking at home.
6. Interests
What piques their interest? Hobbies reveal quite a bit about a person, especially when you delve into the why behind it. Why does she love rock climbing? Why does he love art?
7. Fashion choice
Like hobbies, a person’s fashion choice speaks volumes. Consider Offred’s clothing in The Handmaid’s Tale and what it revealed about her.
8. Occupation
If your character works, what do they do? If they don’t work, why?
9. Unique qualities
Every individual is unique, which is part of why character development is so fun. Do your best to present the individuality and nuance of your characters.
10. Nonverbals
How a person communicates nonverbally reveals huge tells. The same goes for characters in novels. How does your character enter a room? Meet someone new? In short, how do they express themself? Much of this comes down to the rule, show don’t tell.
11. Expression
While this can fall into nonverbals, a character’s regular expression speaks volumes about who they are. How do they approach the world? With sadness? Apprehension? A comedic flair? Passion?
Consider these two examples:
- “His face looked comfortable in a soft smile, as if he’d never learned to frown.”
- “Fine lines surrounded his mouth and puckered between his eyes. He looked like a storm always waiting to erupt.”
12. How do others perceive them?
Mr. Darcy’s character in Pride and Prejudice is a classic example of perceptions not aligning with reality. Play around with how to write dialogue concerning your other characters and their perceptions.
13. How do they perceive others?
Additionally, how a character tends to perceive others can showcase a personality in a mere phrase.
Consider these two thought processes:
- I watched as the package tipped and fell out of his arms. “What a show-off. He should know better than to carry so much.”
- I watched as the package tipped and fell out of his arms. “Poor guy. He must be in a rush to carry that much all at once.”
14. What are their surroundings?
Where a character spends their time does not always speak to who they are, but it can drop hints. Once again, consider our historical romance example. Mr. Darcy in a drawing room feels normal. However, Mr. Darcy in a rough ally looking for Lydia feels surprising.
15. What do they carry?
Not everyone carries a bag or fills their pockets, but what do they reach for often? Perhaps a character wears a particular necklace everyday. Maybe they carry a worn notebook.
16. Who are their friends?
Aesop’s proverbial phrase, “A man is known by the company he keeps,” is no less true for fictional characters. Reveal who your character spends the most time with, and you often reveal them for who they are at their core.
How do you write a descriptive paragraph about a character?
Rather than try to include all sixteen tips on how to write character descriptions into a single paragraph, try using just one or two. For example, mentioning what’s in a person’s hand (tip #15) along with what they eat or drink (tip #5) can correlate.
Consider this example. “He sat his worn backpack next to him in order to take a bite of the now cold sandwich. But, every few bites he looked over, as if to ensure it hadn’t grown legs and walked away.” You can then go on to complete the paragraph, centering on the plot point at hand.
When learning how to write character descriptions, it’s important to avoid an informational dump of qualities. Try sprinkling qualities into a paragraph rather than going off on a multiple sentence explanation of what makes your character, your character. While using these two tips works for the above, consider using just tip #3 in a paragraph.
“What was it like, being with [villain name] like that, trapped, for so long?”
“I mean, scary. What do you expect? He’s the king of manipulation and if you don’t see through him soon enough, you’ll fall for his charisma.”
Notice how you learn several qualities about the villain while also learning a bit about the character speaking. The villain is a great manipulator but also charismatic. The character speaking about him is blunt, to the point, and honest.
You see this in the dialogue, “Scary, what do you expect?” and, “You’ll fall for his charisma.” This style uses a literary device called direct characterization.
Of course, you can always work with a good developmental editor to ensure you describe your characters well throughout your manuscript. An editor can help as you work with different types of characters as well.
How to write a description of a person, examples?
Sometimes a person’s character can be summed up in just one element, as we see in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby.
“He smiled understandingly—much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced—or seemed to face—the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor.”
Now look at Alice Walker’s example from The Color Purple. “She look so stylish it like the trees all round the house draw themself up tall for a better look. Now I see she stumble, tween the two men. She don’t seem that well acquainted with her feets.”
Both of these examples choose just one or two characteristics to focus on describing. Learning how to write character descriptions, effectively, often means remembering that less is often more.
How to write character descriptions: your next step
Now that you know how to write character descriptions, it’s time to create your character. Use our free Character Development Worksheet to get a jumpstart on crafting characters that feel real and stay with your readers!
