tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post6387636620977552290..comments2021-08-11T21:33:42.433-07:00Comments on Lettuce Head: When the writing gets toughlettuceheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14338776419077765978noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-33066606770780573882010-09-28T01:05:47.141-07:002010-09-28T01:05:47.141-07:00I have this problem too. Its a crit I get a lot. T...I have this problem too. Its a crit I get a lot. To describe their facial features and such. It is so hard. I'm even terrible at this in real life. As long as I can remember, friends and fam always made fun of me for this. Example. <br />Someone: what did they look like?<br />Me *making hand gestures*: they had a nose and eyes.<br />I kind of pick whatever thing sticks out the most and say that. Stupid right. Maybe this is how I can approach my characters. Pick the feature that stands out the most and force myself to actually describe it. Its a start.Dayana Stockdalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03732725838165251900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-36986878034905841742010-09-25T22:53:07.984-07:002010-09-25T22:53:07.984-07:00Very good advice, C.N. Nevets! You're so right...Very good advice, C.N. Nevets! You're so right. I should only give details if it's important to the story/character. I have lots to think about...No, write about! Thank you, really.lettuceheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14338776419077765978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-15507359185962880262010-09-25T22:01:07.898-07:002010-09-25T22:01:07.898-07:00I used to go into too much detail about the main c...I used to go into too much detail about the main character's appearance, but then I started to realize that while it can help complete character development, it can also add unnecessary clutter. Everything you write should advance something. If it doesn't matter to the story or to our understanding of who your character really is, probably don't need to tell us the color of their eyes. On the other hand, if there is something about your character's appearance that might help us understand how others approach her or how she presents herself to the world, then it's probably important to mention.C. N. Nevetshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00375714948653196993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-66773826944400887332010-09-25T18:55:23.246-07:002010-09-25T18:55:23.246-07:00Sharon - Oh gosh, haha. Now you know where to star...<b>Sharon</b> - Oh gosh, haha. Now you know where to start, at least, to get your character developed correctly. Maybe ask yourself more questions too. Good luck! :)<br /><br /><b>Kittie</b> - I'm right there with you! Maybe that'll be created in the future but for now we gotta work for it. <br /><br /><b>Shallee</b> - I love your suggestion for appearance markers. Thanks for the tip, I had never considered that. Everyone read Shallee's comment!<br /><br /><b>Botanist</b> - Hey, we all fall short in some area. What's cool is we're able to help each other out, as you are helping me! Thank you for your tip, Botanist. I should start paying attention to what my character would notice. That would definitely help distinction.<br /><br /><b>L.T. Elliot</b> - The funny thing about Harry Potter and I is that I've seen every movie, yet haven't read the books. What kind of writer am I! Don't judge :) Thanks for such a good point using Tonks. If Rowling can get away with it, I sure can! And no problem with the comment, your post was truly wonderful. You take care too.lettuceheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14338776419077765978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-45929021421340781642010-09-25T18:20:35.336-07:002010-09-25T18:20:35.336-07:00I balance this line, too--except that I started ou...I balance this line, too--except that I started out over describing their appearances. ;P I don't know if you've read Harry Potter (because some people don't) but I always like to think of Tonks as the ideal way to describe someone. Everyone in the world knows what she looks like (Crazy pink, spiked hair, tall and thin) but Rowling doesn't describe her much. We all have our visions, just like you said, but with enough to make her real to us, too.<br /><br />Thank you for the beautiful comment over at my place. I truly appreciate it and I'm looking forward to getting to know you. Take care & keep writing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-46835272838921371582010-09-25T17:38:50.395-07:002010-09-25T17:38:50.395-07:00I think I agree to the point about knowing as much...I think I agree to the point about knowing as much about your character as possible. When it comes to physical description I know I often fall way short there. My "character sheets" often contain little more than a brief line about a character's appearance, just enough to make sure I'm consistent if I happen to refer to something. In fact, now I think about it, I really should nail my characters down a bit more. Bad me! But I digress...<br /><br />But when it comes to what to put down on the page, yeah, paragraphs of description are death to the story IMHO. I try to put as little as possible, and critters occasionally comment that they'd like a bit more physical description to help them visualise the scene.<br /><br />My touchstone here is to think about what would catch the attention of the POV character. If it makes sense that they'd notice a particular detail at a particular time, then throw it in. If not, then don't. (That same argument goes for setting too.)<br /><br />However, that does need to be balanced by the demands of the story. For example, Shallee's suggestion of "appearance markers" helps the reader keep track of who's who, which is important.Botanisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12098709722475364465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-61210977561564684682010-09-25T15:52:29.853-07:002010-09-25T15:52:29.853-07:00I don't usually do a lot of description for my...I don't usually do a lot of description for my characters. I'll do a few key "appearance markers," (think Harry Potter-- he has black messy hair, green eyes, a lighting scar, and that's about all we get) but not fully describe everything about them. Like you said, the reader usually forms a basic picture anyway in their head. I just give them a little guidance. :)<br /><br />Good luck with your current wip! I'm sure you'll figure out a way to make it work.Shalleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09907680428735740943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-76517818974544374142010-09-25T15:42:38.918-07:002010-09-25T15:42:38.918-07:00It's sooo hard to describe characters. I wish...It's sooo hard to describe characters. I wish there were a way to pull that mental pic out of my head and paste it onto the page!Kittie Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07756250649095903317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-88452028328965099452010-09-25T15:04:33.956-07:002010-09-25T15:04:33.956-07:00I went to a conference last week and presented a p...I went to a conference last week and presented a pb to an agent. "I" was the main character in the rhyming book...She asked me who "I" was...how old "I" was...Who was "I's" best friend...I didn't have a clue...She said I had a nice poem....needed to work on character development. LOL...Sharon K. Mayhewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07799235347319851345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-79280821146681426892010-09-25T14:58:31.766-07:002010-09-25T14:58:31.766-07:00Go us :)
Please do stay away from those descripti...Go us :)<br /><br />Please do stay away from those descriptive paragraphs. They absolutely annoy me because it's compressing the character and that's not at all enjoyable. I believe in your secret. Keep writing with it.lettuceheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14338776419077765978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-46403903785642582002010-09-25T14:34:58.027-07:002010-09-25T14:34:58.027-07:00Hey, I'm 21 too :-)
I generally have other ch...Hey, I'm 21 too :-)<br /><br />I generally have other characters describe something about the character in question (I.e. "I never noticed he had green eyes before.") and leave little clues throughout the story.<br /><br />I try to stay away from the descriptive paragraph. (She stood 5ft 2 inches tall, kept her blonde hair trimmed short and all-business. Her ice-chip blue eyes earned her the nick name Ice Maiden...) One day I might try it, but not for any of the books I'm busy with. <br /><br />To me, the secret stays in subtlety...Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-1052311037574663662010-09-25T14:29:17.072-07:002010-09-25T14:29:17.072-07:00Haha, you're in my boat now! Hopefully we come...Haha, you're in my boat now! Hopefully we come across a good point of view :)lettuceheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14338776419077765978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3051662905978546376.post-60583119091038458312010-09-25T14:19:42.807-07:002010-09-25T14:19:42.807-07:00It was actually a very enlightening experiment, wa...It was actually a very enlightening experiment, wasn’t it? And I think most of us have learned a lot from each other, which is fantastic. And this is a good point – I see my characters clearly in my head, but rarely bother to describe their appearance too much. Instead, I try to portray their feelings. You’ve got me thinking now . . . thank you :)<br /><i><b><a href="http://pillowofthecommunity.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">The enigmatic, masked blogger strikes again</a></b></i>The Blogger Formerly Known Ashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04310345690134317710noreply@blogger.com