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: shades of blue, brown, green, gray, and hazel; almond-shaped, round, big, piggish, squinty, narrowed, close-set, far apart, glassy, feverish, watery, pink-rimmed…
Things Eyes Do (and other words/phrases to describe those actions)
- Look: see, watch, glance, gaze, glimpse, notice, observe, peek, stare, view, take in
- Move: roll, shift, narrow, blink, bat, wink, close, open, widen, dilate, dart, follow
- Cry: leak, tear up, fill, water, overflow, glisten, drip, pour
Key Emotions and Related Eye Gestures:
- Sadness: cry, grow dull, close, tear up, lose focus, grow distant
- Anger: narrow, sharpen, grow cold…
Clichés to Avoid: bedroom eyes; eyes that pierce or look through you; eyes being the window to the soul; doe eyes; eyes as big as saucers…
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: Principal Miller was short and squat with too-long arms. Between classes, he slouched into the hallway and watched us with his bulging eyes, waiting for someone to screw up so he could pounce. “Frog” was the obvious nickname, but he wasn’t nearly so smart. We called him Slug.
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!
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.
Wow, am loving this! Thanks!
I love this! And what a great picture too!
Such a great toolset to keep in my directory. This helps so much when I’m stuck with writer’s block…what to do?
Grab a set of eyes, give them some emotion, and watch your writing take off!
Great post.
Great stuff! I really must pick up your book. It’s a valuable resource.
I’ve been waiting for this one, and you do not disappoint, Becca–well done!
I’m loving this! Even though “eyes are the window to your soul” is a cliche, it still has a “nice ring” to it, but rest assured I wouldn’t use it in my writing. 😀
This is a good one!
Brilliantly written “Thesaurus”. I used to envision how radio announcers looked. Your piece reminded me of “Bartleby the Scrivener” by Melville. I remember the constant references to “pursed lips” and I thought of Bartleby as a very thin person. Would have loved how they might have portrayed him in a film adaptation of the short story.
Eye have to be careful; eye tend to focus far too much on eyes, Eye think.
This is really, really helpful! Thank you so much for gathering all this together for your readers! Edith xxx
This series is really useful, and is helping me think about the way I write my physical descriptions. Thank you!