[stylist] Question for fiction writers.

Wed Mar 28 22:00:01 UTC 2012

Allen,
I like using an action to get across the point of a physical trait. For
instance, you could say that your character ran his hands over the tight
brown curls on his head or through the long brown hair hiding  his collar or
that he pushed his wavy brown hair out of his eyes or something like that.
You can also refer to a specific hairstyle like saying he wore his brown
hair in a pony taile or a buz cut. If the hair is unusual in some way, you
can link it to a character trait such as saying that as people assumed from
his buz cut, he was ex-military. When I first described my main character in
my novel, I said something about her twisting her long blond hair around her
hand and throwing it over the back of her recliner.
HTH,
Donna

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Alan Wheeler
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 3:59 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] Question for fiction writers.

Well, specificially, in the case of one character, I don't want to say just
that he has brown hair, but try to describe the haircut/style and am not
sure how.

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Andi
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 2:57 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] Question for fiction writers.

I usually picture the character in my head as I want them to be and describe
what I see.  I usually do not describe a character all in one shot but try
to spread it out a bit so you can get more detail with out being boring.
Also I try to incorperate something about their looks while describing a
mannerism so the look and mannerism help support the other.  This is not
always possible but when I can, I do.  Also I like to use similes when
describing people.  To me people remind me of different animals in certain
instances like if a persons face is really long it might be like a horse.  I
described one of my characters' as being strong, lean, and graceful like an
panther.  If a person is really lazy and slobbish I might say the character
is as wide as the double stuffed recliner they live in with their potato
chips.  I described another character as having high delicate cheek bones
sheathed in Carmel colored skin.  Obvious the reader needs to know more
about how these characters' look and act but that is how I start.  I hope it
helps.  If not what more specifically do you mean? 
-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Alan Wheeler
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 11:00 AM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] Question for fiction writers.

Hi,
Big question for the fiction writers among us.
What kind of process do you use when creating characters and describing what
they look like? For the book I am attempting to write, I have two doctor
characters, and I am trying to picture what they look like in my mind's eye,
for one thing, and how to describe those looks.

For anyone with enough vision, the one doctor character is, actually based
on an actor who played a doctor in the 80's TV series St. Elsewhere. If you
remember Dr. Craig (a.k.a William Daniels the voice of K.I.T.T from Knight
Rider), he would look and kind of talk like him. Can anyone help?
"The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work that you need
most to do and that the world most needs to have done.The place God calls
you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's  deep hunger
meet."
- Frederick Buechner's definition of "vocation" in his little book "Wishful
Thinking"
Psalms 33:3 Psalms 150:5

Alan Wheeler
Lincoln, Nebraska
awheeler65 at windstream.net
http://twitter.com/#!/Country_Storm

_______________________________________________
Writers Division web site:
http://www.nfb-writers-division.net <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>

stylist mailing list
stylist at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
stylist:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/adrianne.dempsey%40gmai
l.com

_______________________________________________
Writers Division web site:
http://www.nfb-writers-division.net <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>

stylist mailing list
stylist at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
stylist:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/awheeler65%40windstream
.net

_______________________________________________
Writers Division web site:
http://www.nfb-writers-division.net <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>

stylist mailing list
stylist at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
stylist:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/penatwork%40epix.net