Character descriptions are hard. I’ve read all sorts of articles on character descriptions, and I’ve yet to find anyone who’s got a finger on what should be included in a solid character description. Ultimately your description should be compelling and memorable, and there’s no simple trick for achieving that.
As you struggle over the problem of summarizing your main characters in a sentence each, read over Lucy V. Hay’s advice for what NOT to do:
How are you using your scene description to introduce your characters? Because too frequently, I read intros like this:
i) Any – introduced in scene description by the clothes they wear, or as Julie Gray calls it, a “laundry list”. This tells us virtually NOTHING about their personalities or who they are, guys. Yes, yes, arguably colours or style can give us *some* impression … Or it may not. How many people do YOU know in real life who can be defined by their clothes alone?? (NONE for me). MORE: Character Introductions & Voice
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