Physical Attributes Entry: Knees

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Writing Help

Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey–too much will slow the pace or feel ‘list-like’, while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or care about their plight.

One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help ‘tell the story’ about who your character is and what they’ve been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character’s physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.

Descriptors: dimpled, wrinkled, knobby, bulging, scabbed, scraped, scarred, hairy, lumpish, chapped, blotchy, freckled, knotted, dry…

Things Knees Do:

Bend: stiff; rapid; awkwardly; painfully
Stiffen: clench; tighten; support; strengthen
Give out: tremble and release, causing collapse; momentarily weakness which causes a hitch and catch

Key Emotions and Related Knee Movements:

  • Fear: loosen, tremble, clench together, bring knees up to core, making oneself smaller & less noticeable
  • Unease…

Clichés to Avoid: knees knocking together; knees giving out as a prelude to uncontrollable weeping

 HINT: When describing any part of the body, try to use cues that show the reader more than just a physical description. Make your descriptions do double duty. Example: The old man wore a faded Army cap and walked like his joints pained him. With every step, his knees strained and groaned, trying to hold their weight. Like soldiers carrying too-heavy packs, they struggled gamely on, doing the only thing they knew to do.

BONUS TIP: The Color, Texture, and Shape Thesaurus might help you find a fresh take on some of the descriptors listed above! 

Describe your character’s features in a way that reveals more than just a physical description. Show what he looks like while also reinforcing his personality and emotional state, thereby doing more with less.

Need concrete examples of how to describe your character in a compelling, magnetic way? Good news! This thesaurus has been integrated into our online library at One Stop For Writers. There, you can find help with metaphors and similes, as well as the best ways to describe your character using movement. The entire Physical Feature collection is cross-referenced and linked for easy navigation. If you’re interested in seeing a free sampling of the updated Physical Feature Thesaurus and our other descriptive collections, head on over and register at One Stop!

Angela Ackerman

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

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