How to Write Engaging Character Descriptions

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Effective character development is key to keeping readers engaged with your story. But even if you have the best character arc in mind, you still need to know how to transfer that idea to the page. How do you show your reader who this character really is inside, without resorting to stilted character descriptions? 

Character descriptions are the key passages in novels that describe a character, from the way he or she looks, acts, or speaks. It sounds easy to describe someone, but it’s a skill all writers must work to develop.

How to Write a Compelling Character Description

The good news is, you can learn the art of character description using the tips outlined below. 

1. Use descriptive language. 

When describing how a person looks, you may be tempted to just rattle off her hair and eye color, height, and complexion. But telling readers those adjectives does little to conjure up any image of the character. 

Instead, consider how you can use words to portray a person’s attitude, as evidenced in the way they look or behave. 

Take a look at this example from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, in the scene where we first meet Marilla Cuthbert: 

Marilla was a tall, thin woman, with angles and without curves; her dark hair showed some gray streaks and was always twisted up in a hard little knot behind with two wire hairpins stuck aggressively through it. She looked like a woman of narrow experience and rigid conscience, which she was; but there was a saving something about her mouth which, if it had been ever so slightly developed, might have been considered indicative of a sense of humor.

There may be nothing special about someone being tall and thin, but the next line, “with angles and without curves,” gives us an image of someone hard, a no-nonsense person. This is further confirmed by the description of her hair as “always twisted up in a hard little knot.” Even the hairpins are qualified as “stuck aggressively through it”! 

2. Use strong verbs, avoid weak adjectives. 

When you describe something, your first impulse may be to reach for adjectives. But if you tell your readers that someone has blue eyes, that doesn’t really tell them much. On the other hand, if you say, “Her sharp blue eyes seemed to penetrate into his soul,” doesn’t it conjure up a more concrete image? 

Verbs can also be strong or weak. The verb “to be” is one of the weakest verbs you can use for character descriptions. For example, compare “her hair was thick and curly” with “her curly hair stuck out every which way, and looked as if a bird could get stuck in it.” Always aim to show, don’t tell.

3. Know when to reveal what. 

One advantage of having a detailed character development sheet at the start of the writing process is that you’ll already know everything you need to know about your character. But this can become a disadvantage when you are trying to write an introductory character description. 

The golden rule is that you should never vomit out every detail in one go. Instead, focus on only a few key characteristics each time you give a description, and spread the rest out all across the book. 

If you give a two-page description of a character at the start of a novel, chances are, your readers will space out somewhere after the first half-page. That means they won’t even remember everything you’ve painstakingly put into your work. 

But if you describe someone as using a crutch that sounds like he’s tap-dancing when he’s agitated, your readers can easily pick up that trait and recognize the character when he appears again, tap-tapping away, a few chapters into the book. 

4. Don’t give everything away. 

Reading, as a non-visual medium, is intended to leave something to the imagination, so remember that your readers don’t need to know every single thing about your character’s physical traits. 

Instead, keep your descriptions brief but as evocative as possible. You can do this by choosing two to three distinct attributes to describe, and keep them specific. Then, you can leave the rest to your reader’s imagination. 

What Is a List of Character Traits? 

To help you write your character descriptions, here are some ideas of attributes that can give your readers an accurate picture of your characters: 

Facial expressions 

Although facial attributes can help readers picture how someone looks, they don’t really tell anything relevant about what the person is like. Facial expressions, on the other hand, speak volumes! 

Take this example from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens: 

Miss Betsey, looking round the room, slowly and inquiringly, began on the other side, and carried her eyes on, like a Saracen’s Head in a Dutch clock, until they reached my mother. Then she made a frown and a gesture to my mother, like one who was accustomed to be obeyed, to come and open the door. My mother went.

How does this description make you feel about Miss Betsey? 

Body language 

The way that someone carries him or herself gives us an important clue about their personality. For example, read this description of Nancy, the servant-girl, in Pollyanna:

Nancy flushed miserably. She set the pitcher down at once, with the cloth still about it, thereby nearly tipping it over—which did not add to her composure.

“Yes, ma’am; I will, ma’am,” she stammered, righting the pitcher, and turning hastily.

This short passage tells us that Nancy tends to be careless and nervous. 

Possessions

Knowing what someone owns or values can offer big clues to their personality. For example, check out this passage describing Sara, from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Princess:

She did not know all that being rich meant. She had always lived in a beautiful bungalow, and had been used to seeing many servants who made salaams to her and called her “Missee Sahib,” and gave her her own way in everything. She had had toys and pets and an ayah who worshipped her, and she had gradually learned that people who were rich had these things. That, however, was all she knew about it.

This tells us a bit about Sara’s past, of how she had every comfort available, which makes her upcoming troubles all the more poignant. 

Actions

The old adage says, “Actions speak louder than words.” In fiction, it’s even more important to remember this, because your readers will remember your characters more for their actions than for the words they say. 

In Magician’s Nephew, C.S. Lewis writes: 

One morning she was out in the back garden when a boy scrambled up from the garden next door and put his face over the wall. Polly was very surprised because up till now there had never been any children in that house, but only Mr. Ketterley and Miss Ketterley, a brother and sister, old bachelor and old maid, living together. So she looked up, full of curiosity. The face of the strange boy was very grubby. It could hardly have been grubbier if he had first rubbed his hands in the earth, and then had a good cry, and then dried his face with his hands. As a matter of fact, this was very nearly what he had been doing. 

From this passage, we start to form a picture of the boy, whom we later know to be named Digory, even before he says a single word.

This list represents general areas where you can develop your characters’ traits and let their personalities shine through. For more specific ideas, check out this list of character mannerisms to give your characters quirks that make them unique.

Writing Character Descriptions

Writing character descriptions can be one of the most challenging, but also most enjoyable, parts of crafting stories. The good thing is that the more you practice, the more easily you can begin to recognize when something works and when it doesn’t. 

Applying these tips will help you write more effective descriptions. Remember, don’t be afraid to cut out whole passages if, later, you decide that it can be more engaging to leave those out! If you feel bad about cutting out long pieces of your work, consider cutting and pasting them into another document. Who knows, you may be able to use them again in future works! 

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