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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Physical Feature Thesaurus Entry: Arms

November 17, 2012 by BECCA PUGLISI

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 caring 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: skinny, plump, dimpled, ropy, wiry, sinewy, muscled, tanned, hairy, strong…

Things Arms Do (and other words/phrases to describe those actions)

  • Carry: lift, heft, hoist, lug, shift, take, tote, move
  • Hug: embrace, squeeze, enfold, hold, clasp, cuddle, snuggle, clamp, clinch, clutch, grasp, grip, seize, snatch…

Clichés to Avoid: gorilla arms, arms like tree trunks or branches, toothpick arms

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. 

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!

BECCA PUGLISI
BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meg says

    December 26, 2013 at 12:15 pm

    You are doing an awesome job. Thanks a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. Megan Wille says

    November 19, 2012 at 1:02 am

    I just found your site through NaNoWriMo. Show vs. Tell is one of the hardest things for me. I either tell too much or show without explanation. It all gets jumbled up in my head. I was so excited to find your site. I look forward to reading so much more 🙂

  3. Janel Gradowski says

    November 17, 2012 at 10:32 am

    Yay! Thank-you!! You just made me weekend. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, too! 🙂

Trackbacks

  1. Physical Attribute Entries | Writers Helping Writers says:
    October 10, 2013 at 7:57 pm

    […] Arms […]

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