Character descriptions allow us to better understand both the story and what we want to tell. Thanks to a good description we can understand the behavior of our protagonist, and why he does what he does, and we will create a solid and professional narrative. Now, what can we do to write it? How do we convey it to readers without being obvious?
How to describe characters in the story?
Before moving on to the description of characters to get to know them better, let’s see what will appear in the text. While we write, it is not a good idea to spend too much time on details, since we hinder the reading and most of the time we do not give relevant information.
Although we should know exactly what the character looks like, what his history is, and why he behaves the way he does, that should not appear in the text. Let’s see it with the following example of a character description :
Example 1: “ Alberto comes home late from work as a plumber, tired because he has had many problems at work, and in a bad mood because he doesn’t even have time to eat. His partner, Marta, is tired of only seeing him for a few moments and the lack of time together is affecting their relationship. He is wearing his work overalls, he is tall and thin, blond, and has dark eyes .”
This description gives us too much information and distracts the reader from what is important. An example of a good character description would be:
Example 2: “ Alberto hurriedly heats up the macaroni in the microwave and searches through the pockets of his stained overalls until he finds his phone. He answers a dozen messages, huffing and puffing before Marta enters the kitchen.
—You’re late again.
“And what is my fault?” he answers, running his hand through his blond hair.
For the microwave, take a fork out of the drawer and eat at the counter .”
By introducing details into the action, we don’t have to tell the reader what Alberto is like, but rather he explains himself through his actions. This has much more impact and is what differentiates good writers from bad ones. However, to achieve this, we must know perfectly what our protagonist is like. Let’s see!
Read Also: What are charismatic characters and how to create them?
How to describe characters?
To write character descriptions, we can use various methods and techniques. All of them will help us to create a reliable and solid profile of our protagonist and we will get to know him better, something essential to make our writings truthful. Let’s look at some tools for character descriptions.
Writing a biography of a character
A character’s story is everything that he or she has experienced in the past. His or her childhood, what his or her adolescence was like, how he or she related to his or her parents, friends, family, etc., should be included in a character’s biography. We will also include possible traumatic events and everything that has made him or her who he or she is. This biography will not appear in the novel, but it will help us to have a clear vision of the character and how his or her personality has been forged.
Character Sheet
Another important element is the character sheet. This document gathers the technical details of the personality and physical appearance so that they are available at a glance.
Let’s see with the following template example what to put in the character sheet :
Name: Alberto Baron Sanchez.
Date of birth: 03/30/1992.
Profession: Plumber.
Parents: Carmen Sanchez and Pablo Baron.
Relationship with parents: His father was emotionally abusive and his mother did nothing. He is now dead and he has a close relationship with her, but they never talk about it.
Friends: Fran and Juan.
Relationship with friends: None of them know how to talk about deep things and they support each other as best they can.
Partner: Marta.
Relationship with partner: They are going through a rough patch. Marta wants a more intimate relationship on an emotional level, but Alberto doesn’t know how. Their incompatible jobs make it difficult to spend time together and strain their relationship.
Studies: Plumbing FP.
Physical description: Tall, thin, blond, and with dark eyes.
Character: Cold and distant. Does not know how to manage emotional intimacy.
Hobbies: Playing role-playing games and doing puzzles.
Phobias: He is afraid of dogs and being hurt.
Defects: When he feels attacked he blames others and is cruel.
Qualities: He is there when you need him, he works well and he is attentive.
Sentimental belongings: A watch his father left him before he died. He hates it but doesn’t know what to do with it.
What is the best thing that can happen to her: Talking to her mother about the family trauma and learning to express emotions.
What’s the worst that can happen to him: Mars leaving him?
If I could be anything, what would I be: An outgoing person who makes their partner happy?
Write a representative scene
Another option to get to know our character is to write directly. By taking action we can see how he acts in conflicts, who he associates with, etc., which provides a clear view of his personality. We can see it, for example, in the text of the first section, in which we show Alberto arriving home tired and with a brief and tense dialogue with his partner Marta.
Character monologue
The character monologue is a less commonly used technique, but in many cases, it can help create a solid image. It consists of writing in the first person as if the narrator were the character. Then we see how he describes himself, what perception he has of others, and how he interprets reality. We can see this with the following example of a character monologue:
“ I consider myself a sensible and calm person, although sometimes I wish I could be different. Marta often tells me that I don’t express my feelings and that she feels that I’m not present, but I don’t know how to do it. I try to work to save enough for both of us, but it seems that the more I do, the worse it gets for us. I wish she wouldn’t be so demanding with me and that she would understand that I love her without me having to tell her so often. And, when I tell her, she doesn’t seem to care. I have a ball in my stomach that is getting stronger and stronger and I don’t know how to fix it .”
Having a solid character means having a consistent story. Both concepts go hand in hand, so learning to describe characters in depth will guarantee narrative success. Do you want to learn how to do it?
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Read Also: What are charismatic characters and how to create them?
