Consider the following descriptions of character by great writers:
From Holes by Louis Sachar: “They were dripping with sweat, and their faces were so dirty that it took Stanley a moment to notice that one kid was white and the other black. Madame Zeroni had dark skin and a very wide mouth. When she looked at you, her eyes seemed to expand, and you felt like she was looking right through you.”
From The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain: “His hair was long and tangled and greasy, and hung down. There warn’t no color in his face; it was white; not like another man’s white, but a white to make a body sick, a white to make a body’s flesh crawl – a tree-toad white, a fish-belly white. As for his clothes – just rags, that was all.”
Character descriptions must appeal to the senses. If you use an adjective to describe a physical attribute, make sure that the phrase is not only accurate and sensory but also fresh. Provide specific details on one well-chosen physical feature, clothing, or mannerism that bring out the personality. For example, focus on one’s strong, jutting chin, not only because it is the dominant feature but also because it suggests stubbornness. Give the character motion, thoughts and speech!
