forum What do you think is the best way to write Physical descriptions?

Started April 30, 2020 by @aaloo_thinks

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Hey guys what do you think its the best way to write physical descriptions, do you consider them important, do you think its important to have a physical description in the first chapter?

My general rule of thumb is that a character's physical description is less important than you think. Mostly it depends on how important their looks are to the plot. When I'm trying to describe a character for the first time, I decide how much to describe by asking myself these questions:
-Am I writing from that character's point of view? If so, probably describe very little–they already know what they themselves look like, so a detailed description would seem weird.
-If I'm writing from a different character's perspective, what details are they going to notice first about the new person? For side characters, I limit myself to mentioning three or less details, just to give them some way of standing out from the others. For more important characters, I do general silhouette, hair/clothes, facial features, and important items, in that order. I still try to make it brief though, to keep the story rolling.
-Just how weird/interesting does this person look? The more out-of-the-ordinary they are, the more I'll likely describe them. If they just look like an average Joe, I need to find some other way to make them distinctive.
-Which brings me to the next point: Are we going to learn more about this character's personality eventually/will they have a lot of screen time? If so, you can slowly add more on their description throughout the story, as the other characters get to know them. If not, I like to flesh out their initial description a bit more, so they're unique and memorable without having to give them personality quirks or deep backstories. That's why a lot of my very minor characters have flashy hairstyles or some weird accessory in their outfit.
TL;DR: Less is more when it comes to physical descriptions, if you ask me.
Sorry for the dump lol. Obviously this is just how I do it, I suggest you go with your gut and find what works best for your writing style. But I hope this helps get you started XD

@Young-Dusty Thank you so much this will help a lot.

No problem! ^^

I agree with what @Young-Dusty said, but I have something to add
When you do talk about physical description, never use cliches, unless it's absolutely necessary. Also, use words that normally wouldn't go together, like "Their eyes were beautifully evil", etc. It helps, in my experience

@Divine-Irish-Potato Thanks for that advice.

^^^^ all of the above! Also, don’t condense physical descriptions into one section; pepper it throughout your story! It feels more natural that way :)

This is a story of mine that might help you: I'm six, and I'm finally allowed to use wordpad on the computer! I was exited, but that was besides the point. It was the first thing I had ever written. It was called The Clawed Kingdom. It was about a cat that lived in a world where he is the only cat and everyone else is either a dog or bird. Half of the 67 words were physical description. Sigh Your problem might not be as crazy or intense, but still please don't make it too much. Back then I would explain EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL. Now I often just say Actaul quote from my newest story: "It looked…Kinda cute, it had large ears and a bushy tail." That's most of my description. I like to keep it short and simple now. Overall lesson: Don't be like six year old me.