1. frigocc

    frigocc Contributor Contributor

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    Is It Ever Okay To Barely Describe The MC?

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by frigocc, Feb 21, 2019.

    Basically, my novel will be a comedic novel about an average Joe trying to become a superhero. He's from Boston, and is pretty arrogant /impatient. The only description of him that is TOLD will be that he's overweight, balding, and a loser Going along with his personality, he often skips ahead, past "unimportant" details. For example, when he has to get a day job, rather than describing his first day in a few pages, here's how it goes:


    I'm not going to bore you with all the details, it's McCluckin's. Hot grease burns skin, Zack is a fucking fairy, and the place smells like fish. Now let's focus on the important stuff, the superhero stuff.




    Does this work, or just annoying?
     
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  2. Seven Crowns

    Seven Crowns Moderator Staff Supporter Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    IMO, it works. The reader will tend to imagine themselves as the MC, or some version of themselves at least, and that pulls them into your story. It's funny, because it's the lack of effort that has the best effect.
     
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  3. frigocc

    frigocc Contributor Contributor

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    I'm just worried that not initially describing the costume will anger people. Later on, the MC runs into problems with using a trademarked name, at which time the main character describes the new name and costume, realizing it's not unimportant. But for the first half of the novel, you know the hero name, but the costume won't be described outside of some minor things.

    I want to be only detailed enough to where people picture the MC in their heads in their own ridiculous way.
     
  4. The Dapper Hooligan

    The Dapper Hooligan (V) ( ;,,;) (v) Contributor

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    The technical terms for this is Imaginitive Identification or Experiential Identification depending. Twilight is a good example of this. And before you're turned off by the fact that it's Twilight, remember, for being a not great book, it still sold somewhere around 100 million copies, so there's that.
     
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  5. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    Yes, it is perfectly fine. I prefer books where the MC is given minimal description. There are a lot of them.
     
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  6. mfrankj3@gmail

    mfrankj3@gmail New Member

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    It is perfectly fine. I agree with this. You can "describe" the main character without describing him physically. As your story is developed, so will your character . This is the hope of the author, don't you think?
     
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  7. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    Descriptions give a story texture. If you think minimal details will paint the picture you want in readers' minds, it's up to you to figure out how well it works. And minimalism can work, but a story still needs to have texture and grounding. I don't read things and think I'm the character. I look to the prose to bring that character to life and have be feel for them and understand them.

    Things like this really come down to the presentation. An "average Joe" runs the risk of being sort of a flat character. What does average even mean? Show readers it means. It's not like you have to go overboard with description, but I think you might want your character to come across a little more unique than average. If your character is paper thin, it could create more problems than lack of description. You can weave things in, sort of a slow release. But a story is a lot more than a story. It's about the people in it, and that does require a little more character development, in my opinion.
     
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  8. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    To me, whether a character is flat hinges on how well the character is developed as a three-dimensional human being. This can be separate and apart from describing their physical appearance (though significant details of the appearance should be described). One can write a perfectly complex character and leave physical appearance up to the reader. It can be taken further than that--Jeanette Winterson provides a complex character in Written on the Body and never discloses the biological sex of the MC.
     
  9. Iain Sparrow

    Iain Sparrow Banned Contributor

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    You needn't get flowery and go overboard with expository passages, however, you do need to choreograph those passages to get the intended effect. Yes, I'm a firm believer in allowing the reader to connect the dots, but you better at least give them fantastic dots to connect.:)



    The foreigner calling himself Gilbert Nethercut was a study in black; from his raven’s feather hair and sable tailcoat, satin shirt, silk breeches, down to his polished riding boots, he was every stitch, thread and pelt a lustrous shade of night. If not for his waxen pallor, and those eyes, lit midnight blue, he might pass invisible on a moonless eve. And what of his riding boots, without even a scuff on them? Adeline recalled something her governess had once said about Englishmen: ‘They’re a tepid breed of men who care little for fine wine and clever women—and for horses they couldn’t care less.’ Adeline made up her mind she didn’t much like the gentleman from London.
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2019
  10. Iain Sparrow

    Iain Sparrow Banned Contributor

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    Ah, but what if you have three MCs?
    Then it gets tricky.;)
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2019
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  11. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    I like books with a lot of description. I'm also fine with sparse detail, along the lines of Jack Reacher. Other than descriptions of his size and proportions, which are important to the stories, the author doesn't give much.
     
  12. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    It works for me. You've created what seems to be a strong character voice, and it's in first person. That'll be good to go on. Don't worry about what you should or shouldn't do at this stage. Just write what you've got, in terms of voice and vision, and see if it works.
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2019
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  13. Alan Aspie

    Alan Aspie Banned Contributor

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    This works extremely well - both in a story and while asking opinion/help.

    If someone needs to write a whole synopsis just to ask some question, then you know that writer has not even started his/her own thinking processes.

    If you can focus in the main point while asking, it hints that writer knows what he/she is doing and an outsider might be able to help in something important.

    You might even not tell but show your hero's weight, bald and lack of success. No need to tell it.
     
  14. Tenderiser

    Tenderiser Not a man or BayView

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    Minimal description is fine. If you do it well, readers won't even notice that their image of the characters is entirely of their own making and not yours. Humans are great at filling in gaps.

    What you DO need to do is give any details up front. If you're going to mention that your MC has blonde hair, mention it in the first chapter or two. You don't want your readers imagining a redhead until chapter 37, when they suddenly have to try to change that embedded image. It'll yank them right out of the story.
     
  15. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    Yes. I hate when authors do that. And as a reader I completely disregard any description the author supplied well after introducing the character, unless it is something new (a character receives an injury, for example).
     
  16. Cephus

    Cephus Contributor Contributor

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    In my current WIP, the main character is never described at all. It just makes no sense to do it. It's all first-person and the idea that someone is going to admire themselves in the mirror or any of that, especially in this setting, is absurd. It doesn't matter what he looks like. If the reader wants to fill in those details, they're welcome to.
     
  17. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    My novel is in first person, but I do mention things like clothing and feeling like they must look a certain way. Again, I go back to my post about there being texture in a story. Description can be part of that. Done right I always believe it adds something to a story.
     
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  18. Cephus

    Cephus Contributor Contributor

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    Think about it. If you're telling a story to someone about something that happened to you, do you describe yourself to them? Unless it's really important to the story, why would anyone do that? It makes no logical sense.
     
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  19. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    Like I said, I have included things like what a first person narrator is wearing or things like "I knew there were dark circles under my eyes because I hadn't slept in days." I agree that character description is handled very differently in first person compared to third. But I also don't really see a good reason to completely avoid it no matter what sort of POV you're using. Sparse is good, but I'm not so sure about nothing. Of course, anything can work. We're trying to sell stories. I want to create stories that will sell. Texture creates layers and life.
     
  20. frigocc

    frigocc Contributor Contributor

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    I guess I don't feel the need to explain my superhero's costume in depth at first. Not only is it not important in the narrator's mind, but I want the audience to picture the person themselves. I'm soviet trying to write my book like a movie I don't want my readers just reading, I want them to play my movie in their heads.

    Now, later on, after being sued for copyright infringement for his name, I may describe it a bit more, as it's then relevant, but I still want the read to imagine it.

    Thought I wanted to put my hero on the cover, but I think I'm just going to put a silhouette of him on it, not revealing any details other than his beer belly
     
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  21. Cephus

    Cephus Contributor Contributor

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    But that's not really a character description. It's not "here's what color my hair is and my eye color and my height and weight", which is what I was referring to. That's just a description of a current state of a person.
     
  22. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    You might.

    "This yellow dress makes my huge butt look even bigger, doesn't it. It's like the sun coming up over the hill. I'll never wear it again."

    "Yep. I finally cut my hair really short. I got fed up dragging it through the porridge every morning."

    "I've got brown eyes and dark brown hair, but both of my parents are blonde and have blue eyes. How do you reckon THAT happened?"

    You also may remark on your size or height, when comparing it to somebody else's. "I'm five foot four, and my eyes only come level with his belt buckle."

    My husband once told me that he never wore a kilt, even as a young man, because his legs are too skinny to look good in one. (He's right, to an extent.)

    No, you're not going to mention every detail about your appearance, but you certainly do mention aspects of it, now and again. These aspects can be skillfully woven into a first-person story, without making them into a laundry list.
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2019
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  23. LoaDyron

    LoaDyron Contributor Contributor

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    I would say describe what makes the character interesting. Maybe is not the colour of the eyes, but a specific deformity? Or maybe your does have big hands? Or you could describe your MC's in action, instant on a long line. A description is always needed, but not to the point sounding like a shopping list. :supersmile:
     
  24. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    My examples are totally character description. It could be argued they're more relevant to character development than eye or hair color.
     
  25. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    While I believe that you have enough skill to get away with this, I would recommend against this level of specificity for anyone who considers themselves to be at all a beginning writer. (By "specificity" I mean the dark circles, rather than, say, "I felt dead and I probably looked worse.") First-person self-description is IMO a minefield.
     
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