Writing About Eyes So I was doing some research and found this great site. It has an extensive list of eye colors, their descriptions, whether they are cliché (per the author), and whether they are insufficient descriptions (per the author). There are a few photos included for illustration. http://www.obsidianbookshelf.com/html/eyecolorlist.html Another article is linked on that page (up near the top) that provides some quick resources for writing about eyes. It talks about clichés, gives some suggestions for describing eyes (it even has some exercises with photos), some guidelines on describing eye shape, and a list of eye actions and whether they're cliché or not (again, per the author). http://www.obsidianbookshelf.com/html/eyecolorhtdescribe.html I've never found a need to describe eyes in much detail but should it ever surface I think I'm well-armed now. Edit: Well, that's annoying that I can't change the thread title... I guess I shouldn't post when I'm so tired!
This made my heart sink My MC has these like almost inhumanly bright green eyes and that's the first word that keeps popping to mind.
Well if there is no better description that fits, go for it I'd say. People aren't going to stop reading because there is a cliché in your story... Well I wouldn't! It's very hard not to use any sort of cliché!
Don't forget this is all just one guy's opinion. What's cliché to him may not be cliché to others. And on top of that, how you treat a would-be cliché can easily change its perception. If emerald is all that works, go with it! Maybe you could have him/her wear emerald (either the color or maybe a necklace or earrings or something) and just say his/her eyes match. They're still emerald but described a little differently.
Cool links, thanks I actually found just the color to describe a character's eyes I always struggled with, and I knew it was important to mention it because her eyes stand out from her face. That sentence sounded less disturbing in my head.
It's okay. If I squint my eyes and tilt my head at just the right angle, it isn't as creepy as it first seemed.
