How often should I describe a character's appearance?

[Naruzeldamaster]

My rule of thumb is, always describe them if it's the first time the pov character has met y character. And subsequent times it's if there's significant changes (like a time skip of 5 + years) And if the 'new' character has been described before, make note of details that the pov character would notice that the previous one didn't

If something has changed (like say a battle happens off camera, and a significant character has an edgelord eye scar now) I generally describe that.
Outfit changes I only tend to bring up if it's something that Y pov character cares about/notices is different. (like 'oh you're wearing the red dress, it looks good' kinda thing)

I am also curious about how much detail is TOO much detail.
Like, character A has a rather simple outfit, so their description is quick and easy.
But character B (regardless of gender) has a really ornate outfit with lots of bits and bobs. So I'm never really sure how much to describe, unless the pov character is one of the types to really take in those details.

 

[BrittleBones]

Thankfully, I'm writing a visual novel, which means I don't have this issue.

But! As you, clearly, are not, I would say describe them in bits and pieces. When the POV character first meets them, stick to a first impression- "Oh, it's another one of those stuck-up noble types with blonde hair and a gaze that would send you straight to the ninth pit of hell", or "The baker was a jolly man- fat with a bushy beard. The sort you wanted to be around."

Then directly bring up details only as they are needed. For minor things, spread them out, weave them into other descriptions so the seeds are subtly planted.

 

[CupofJoe]

I’d go for impressions/reactions rather than descriptions.
It depends on what I’m writing*, but as a loose rule I try not to describe my characters too much unless there is a bearing on the story.
So, if some usually scruffy usually in jeans and a tee-shirt suddenly turns up in a 3 piece suit, then that will be noticed.
If a character has the hots for someone then they will pay great attention to how that someone looks and acts, noticing every small change.
If it is important that a character is tall/short, physically imposing/puny, devilishly attractive/hideous then this will be worked in.
These are all impressions/reactions from other people and how they see to the character.
I find that often I don’t need to say that they have hazel eyes, are exactly five foot six in the stockinged feet or have wavy dusty blonde hair.
Most of the time I don’t care if the reader doesn’t have exactly same the image in their mind as I have in mine.
The only exception to this is if I want to point out how ordinary a character is. If there is nothing outstanding about them, then I might have a little more detail about how and why.
That said I’m a visual thinker, so I have a very exact image of how each character looks and moves.
I have thousands of images I’ve sucked from the web of interesting faces, that I will use for characters “someday”.
* I write noir hardboiled detective tales once in a while and there you can get very creative with the ways you can describe people. But even there is still based in reaction to the character, just a little more colourful.

 

[pmmg]

Usually when they first appear, and then only as details become needed as the story goes. I don't have a hard rule on this. Sometime, I like to remind readers of details. But a full on new description would have to require a real change in the character--like if they were tyring to pull of a disguise, or wearing armor for the first time so such.

 

[Finchbearer]

I’m going to be annoying and say this is a research prompt - go read some books in your genre and some outside your genre and see what you like and what you don’t like.

I say this because personally as someone who likes to sit and read books, this sort of thing varies wildly between authors, and is also something that varies with the type of story that is being told.

The only thing I don’t need to hear ever other sentence is the characters eye colour…

 

[Fyri]

I agree with Finchbearer!

I think there are a lot of different ways to go about this. It depends on your voice, probably.

Some authors do the full on description at the intro and some readers appear to like that. I can't handle that. As a reader, I think descriptions work best when they are attached to an action that amplifies the character's essence or personality. That's a more subtle way to do it, but it is perhaps more showing than telling, if that makes sense.

Of course, I'm not one who think you should never "tell" or use exposition in your writing, but there is something important to the "show vs tell" debate. How can you show us what they look like, rather than tell us? Through doing this, I'd say you can repeat descriptors as much as feels natural to the story. If it is weaved into the story, than telling us about how "Her red ribbon sagged on her head much like her tired eyes," doesn't mean you can't talk about this red ribbon again later. If it benefits a scene to talk about it, I think it is probably okay.

Also—funny thing. My characters' irises change color when they are accessing their element / looking for auras, so I do often mention this to indicate whether the character is on guard and other things. XD

 

[Finchbearer]

With my gripe about eye colour descriptions, you’ve said that the eye colour is connected to emotion / special ability, which makes sense to the story.

For me it gets repetitive when eye colour descriptions become the crutch from which a writer relies on when they can’t think of other ways to describe their characters physical appearance.

 

[BrittleBones]

With my gripe about eye colour descriptions, you’ve said that the eye colour is connected to emotion / special ability, which makes sense to the story.

For me it gets repetitive when eye colour descriptions become the crutch from which a writer relies on when they can’t think of other ways to describe their characters physical appearance.

Shudders in 'sparkling rosemary orbs'.

 

[Fyri]

With my gripe about eye colour descriptions, you’ve said that the eye colour is connected to emotion / special ability, which makes sense to the story.

For me it gets repetitive when eye colour descriptions become the crutch from which a writer relies on when they can’t think of other ways to describe their characters physical appearance.

Oh for sure. XD I was just mentioning it because it's funny.

The dreaded "can only describe eye color and hair" when I, as a real person, do not notice eye color much at all. It's far more useful to branch out and only describe what is actually notable or distinguishable for a person. Did I see [character's] eye color was green? No. But I did notice his cool cloak and the way he constantly fidgeted with it, making me absolutely sure he was a fellow Neurodivergent. XD Also. Was he tall or was that just his outfit? Etc etc.

 

[Mad Swede]

I'd turn the question around. What do you notice when you meet someone? Think about whether what you notice depends on
- situation
- time of day
- their gender
- their appearance
- your mood
- how the other person reacts
- how many times you've met them before
- something else
When you've thought about it you'll know what details to put into your story.

 

[skip.knox]

I have a scene where my main characters meet a clutch of wizards (sure, a clutch). Starts with eight or nine with one or two arriving later in the scene. So the question of how much of their physical appearance is needed at that point versus later is very much on my mind.

The needs of the story outweigh the needs of the author. That's fundamental. So, in this scene I need to establish some tension between the MCs and the wizards. Appearances don't matter as much as words and behaviors. I sort of felt that without thinking it consciously at first. The needs of the scene emerged as I wrote. But first time through, I just wrote the scene. That meant the first draft was mainly dialog. I knew I'd be coming back, to fill out not only individuals but also the setting.

After writing more, I started inventing certain behaviors or characteristics. Physical appearance still didn't seem to matter too much. This one is a brute. That one is oily. Another is distant and laconic. I found myself spending more time on clothing, for those external appearances could complement the character of this or that wizard. I did, for example, have to pay attention to hair color because for some reason I've established that all elves in Altearth have hair that is some shade of gray or silver, anywhere from white to black. So, no red-headed elf wizard at the table. But those were minor points.

All in all, I found I didn't have to do much by way of descriptors, especially since I had so many to introduce. The one place I found was relevant was this: later in the story there are a couple of close encounters. Face-to-face stuff. So, whatever characteristics I wanted to use then, I needed to establish back in that first scene. For example, one of the wizards has a bad limp and uses a cane. Rather than just saying that, though, I show him getting up from his chair with difficulty and pulling a cane out from under the table. At another point, someone says he limps because he was injured in battle. Even there, though, the actual appearance is less important than the impaired mobility. So I don't, for example, describe the cane in any sort of detail. He's somewhat ashamed of his injury and wouldn't call attention to it by having a fancy cane.

Anyway, I hope that helps. Generalized advice is often either vague or contradictory (or both!) at least in part because so many choices depend so directly upon the specifics of each particular story. What works in this case works less well in another case.

 

[Plinto]

If you're describing their appearance, it should generally be a means of characterization and moving the story forward. You don't describe a warrior's armor, for instance, just for the sake of it. You show it to indicate their class, their experience, their wealth, etc. And only if those details are actually important to the story you're trying to tell. Maybe you describe the armor because the crest on the breastplate belongs to a notoriously antagonistic house of nobles that the protagonist has quarreled with before, and their sudden presence changes the political landscape. You get it.

The term is called "significant detail" and it applies to basically all types of descriptors in fiction. At the same time, there are no real absolute laws in fiction. These are just suggestions. I highly recommend the book "Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft". Invaluable wisdom contained within. Challenging stuff, in my opinion, but 100% worth absorbing.

 

[Gallio]

I’m going to be annoying and say this is a research prompt - go read some books in your genre and some outside your genre and see what you like and what you don’t like.

I say this because personally as someone who likes to sit and read books, this sort of thing varies wildly between authors, and is also something that varies with the type of story that is being told.

The only thing I don’t need to hear ever other sentence is the characters eye colour…

I agree entirely.
When I think of my favorite novels, I realize there is ver little physical description of the characters -- the rule for many authors seems to be, Leave it to the reader's imgination.