Don't Describe Characters All In One Breath

As the story advances we, as readers, advance in our knowledge of the characters. Just as in real life. You don't know much about a person you've just met. In fact, your first impression of that person may be totally wrong. Only time will reveal the true nature of that person. Don't overly describe a character. It's boring. A couple of lines is more than sufficient. Look at the novelists you enjoy reading and see how little description they give to the characters. Let's try an example: "Mallory was tall, and had the hard look of an outdoorsman, a look that didn't fit the three piece suit he wore." Do you really need more than that to get a picture of Mallory? All right let's try a little more: "There were three finger-thick scars, like the claws of an animal, poking out of his hairline near the temple." We could go a little further: "She noticed there were similar scars over the back of his right hand. She wondered, with interest, what the story was behind those scars." I think you have a decent image of Mallory. Yet, I did not tell you the color of his eyes, nor even the color of his hair, and whether it was combed or not. Let's try another: "He was short and dumpy, with thin blonde hair that wouldn't stay in place, and the look of a child up to mischief."

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