I am currently re-reading my novel and I noticed that I haven't described my MC yet. I mean I'm five chapters deep and I only have the characteristics of his eyes and hair. I have a very clear image of him in my head. But I don't know where should I add the description. I am writing in first person. And I have chapter breaks where another MC takes the narrative. Should I describe him as a POV of the second MC or should I describe him in bits throughout the first chapters? So far his eyes are chartreuse green and he has dirty blond hair. He is built and almost 6 feet tall. But I don't know where to add the description...
I always add description intersparcely where it is needed. You don't actually need a full detail of the character. Depending on certain things you can use descriptions like, "I had to crane my neck when speaking to him". We don't really know how tall someone is in real life. So I don't think 6ft tall is very important, the other way around conveys he is tall as well.
My approach is just to eat the fact that it's expository and have them describe what they look like to us over the course of about a page right at the start. It takes a bit of a shoehorn sometimes and it's not the most elegant writing but you can find an excuse for them to make a head movement that gives you excuse to describe their hair style or have them reflect slightly on their stature in contrast to someone bigger/smaller/whatever. Yeah, real people don't really think like I pushed my blonde bangs off my face but it's just what it is. The audience needs to know and they need to know early. It's much more important to be functional than elegant IMHO; find an excuse and do it. The audience needs to see the character in their head to really sympathize with them, so bite the bullet and do it. I write in first person exclusively and it's the only way I've found that works even slightly.
Yeah, the second MC has stated that she has to step on her tip toes to reach him. And also he has said that he bent down to kiss her. So the 6ft tall characteristic is obvious. But I meant as a physical description. I have a sex scene in the 4th chapter in the second MC POV. I should add some descriptive characteristics about him. no? I mean I don't know, I just read it again and it caught me by surprise.
Yeah, You're right. I have to bury that demon while it's early in the story. I had described my SC very early on the story through my MC POV. But I haven't for him.
I keep thinking and second guessing myself because no one is thinking about how his muscles tighten when she sank her nails in his back.
It's always the challenge of first person writing; it's very easy to describe everyone else, it's very hard to describe the person doing the looking. But if you think about it, real people don't really look at other people and say 'his close cropped brown hair was a remnant of his army days' anyway. It feels somewhat more natural but it's just a trick of perception. People don't even think about that stuff consciously when they see someone for the first time. So it's all a conceit really. It's more obvious to see someone doing it to them selves but it's all exactly as unnatural. Just get it over in the first half dozen paragraphs. Break it up so it's not just a dump, sync it with their mannerisms and dialogue so it seems to fit and then call it a day. Just do hair, eyes, face shape, stature; all easy stuff when they are talking etc.
I know. I'm getting to that right now. lol I'm gonna have to describe him in the sex scene. Thank You
If you want to describe what the mc looks like, just incorporate a scene were he/she stands in front of a full length mirror and describe the person staring back at the mc. H.
I'm adding it to the sex scene from the POV of the Second Character. It's in the fourth chapter though.
Nah, you're a better writer than that. Don't be tempted. Remember, this is the first page of your book. You want whatever your books version of action is (drama/violence/fucking etc) on that first page not a contrived reason for the MC to be looking at themselves.
This wouldn't work for me. Because writing in first person, it would mean that I had to actually describe "myself". I don't want that. I want the female reader to fall for him. find him mesmerizing and from the POV of a female character would be better. Thank You though.
Yeah, I don't want my MC to describe himself. I want the female perspective. He's supposed to be alluring and handsome. And he's never going to describe himself like that. Well... I wouldn't describe him like that.
That's way too late. I wouldn't necessarily go so far as too say the fourth page is too late but there's people who will tell you that. And I know that it's not elegant to force in description but you need it and that's just the truth of it. It's like not having a plot point in your first chapter. You need to do it, even if it means contorting the prose a bit to get it there. Narrative cannot live by prose alone. It may in the abstract be better writing to not mention this stuff, but it's a better book if the reader can clearly see the character in their head, especially if the POV is going to shift. The reader needs to know with certainty if this is the character they were last reading from their POV. It's ok to play with perceptions and the details they chose to pick out about themselves vs someone else describing about them. That's fine. But you do need to make sure the reader can see the person doing the talking too.
That is of course up to you, but do keep in mind that there are many ways to describe what the protagonist looks like, even if you're writing in the first person. You could describe the scar on your face, the black eye, the tousled hair etc, H.
Never had this prob. Have 3 MCs in first POV, and they don't get too far in detail about each other. It feels a little weird when a single character describes themselves in that degree. IDK, that is my opinion.
Totally agree. I am going to start on the description of the MC now. On a notepad. And tomorrow find a place and way to add it. Thank you for your insight. I was thinking that too. That the sex scene was way too late into the story. In first person describing yourself sucks. Okay. I said it lol. How would you do it thought? his description: Blond dirty hair in a high fade haircut, Chartreuse green eyes, strong jaw and angular cheekbones, his built was athletic, broad shoulders, his veins show in his arms. So I research for their name and it's cephalic vein which I highly doubt someone knows lol.
That's why I don't want him to describe himself. I find it odd. That's why I'm debating to have a female character describe him.
How about things like "I ran my slender fingers through his faded dirty blond hair" and things like that.
uh huh. I know. I just need to figure out how to write it down. I already stated his eye color and hair color. So...I have to get more into it. Thank You
Yeah, I was thinking of describing it like that, But the sex scene isn't until the 4th chapter. Too late. I do have a "memory" while he's talking to someone. Another quick make out section. I could add it through the female character narrative. But it wouldn't work (dang it) because it's his memory. Not the actual narrative.
