With his recognisable red hair, hole-ridden jumpers and his wonderful quirky big family, Ron is a beautifully drawn, realistic character. . Old hats fell down over her eyes. Everything about him suggested valor and power and a firm handshake., The face of Elrond was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness., Vanity was the beginning and end of Sir Walter Elliots character: vanity of person and of situation. Among the flowers lay a girl in a white muslin dress, with her arms crossed and pressed on her bosom, as though carved out of marble. ), Three ways to write for the Web copywriting and online content writing tips, How to write a great blog post: 99 best blog writing tips, Writers, authors, bloggers beware these health risks, The mega list of careers for writers writing jobs or freelance work, How to self-publish your book (free guide), How to write a query letter the ultimate guide of tips to query a literary agent. Flowers laugh, but she smiled often. His hat was laying on the floor anold black slouch with the top caved in, like a lid., Inside the floating cloak he was tall, thin, and bony; and his hair was red beneath the black cap. Their pages are treasured, passed across generations, stories shared among families as imaginations fire and childrens faces glow with possibility. Through this passage, we can see how the older sister feels about her younger sister: Beezus felt the biggest problem with four-year-old Ramona was that she was just plain exasperating. Not only do they give the reader a visual about a character, they also provide them with a deeper understanding of that character and their relationship with other characters. It was expensively set into a smooth dome, like a band shell for the presentation of that long-running act, her face., His hand was over his eyes. His face is like a blade, and a knife, and a flicker of light: it is delicate and fierce, and scowls beautifully forever, and when he fastens his hard white fingers and his scowling eyes upon a thing he wants to fix, he sniffs with sharp and private concentration through his long, pointed nosehis hair shines like that of a young boyit is crinkled and crisp as lettuce., A black shadow dropped down into the circle. Enjoy Good Housekeeping delivered directly to your door every month! She looked as if the nimbus of humanity were fading away and she were turning monkey. She wore a black minidress and combat boots., His long, long hair wafted around him like black smoke, its tendrils curling and moving of their own volition. She wouldnt have needed to hunt. But he had a voice as soft as wild honey dripping from a tree, and a skin softer than down., [Miss Havisham] had shut out infinitely more; that, in seclusion, she had secluded herself from a thousand natural and healing influences; that, her mind, brooding solitary, had grown diseased, as all minds do and must and will that reverse the appointed order of their Maker, For such and extraordinary athleteeven as a Lower Middler Phineas had been the best athlete in the schoolhe was not spectacularly built. With the sun at his back, shadows marked the depressions beneath his cheekbones. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a3645c314608366cd913a9f555921997" );document.getElementById("aa59038899").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Love the compilation. Childrens book characters are extremely clever devices. She is courageous, decisive, loyal and kind, and she is a shining example of the importance of extending the hand of friendship, even in the most unlikely of places. His face was almost completely hidden by. ), He was abominableand the most alluring, tortured soul Id ever met., A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. Are they attracted? Brooke Thompson graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English at the University of North Texas. His hair was dark as the shadows of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars., People said Ove saw the world in black and white. He had a look of wariness, which could change when he felt relaxed or happy, which was not often in these difficult days, into a smile of amused friendliness and pleasure which aroused feelings of warmth, and something more, in many women., He did not look like anything special at all., If youre looking for guidance on writing your novel, Id suggest my post, 12 Steps to Write a Bestselling Novel in 6 Months., Grey eyes that grow sadder than sunset or rain, fond heart that is ever more true Firm faith that grows firmer for watching in vain Shell wait by the sliprails for you., I am an invisible man. Its mouth was wide and full of needle teeth. He had been remarkably handsome in his youth, and at fifty-four was still a very fine man. Do you have a way, where you could put the characters physical traits in this website? You should add this one; its from Robert Louis Stevensons Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Mr. Its hands rested on the rock, hands that were webbed and huge with each finger ending in a sharp, curved nail. Every time we went walking, birds would follow us around. As a cuddly toy lover (then and now), the tale of lost and found resonated with me deeply from a young age. The way another character views someone else gives insight about them as well. Thanks Im using these for students to make character drawings from. #AmWriting, Florida journalism student targets fake news to win MUSE writing scholarship, How to write a script for a speech contest or a talent competition, How to write a maid of honor speech with examples, New scholarship for first year writing students in 2022, Pets in kidlit books teach children important lessons, 10 New Years resolutions for writers and authors in 2022, Best man speech examples tips and ideas for a best man wedding speech, Enhanced biblical narrative published: David and Bathshebas story retold. He wasnt exactly muscular, but he wasnt weedy-looking eitherthere was an air of hidden strength about him, a graceful strength that showed in his balance, the way he held himself, the way he walked., Kinky tousled curls, only a minimum of makeup, large brown eyes behind round wire-rimmed glasses. For example, look at Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan. Repulsed?

The passage is from Elric of Melnibon:, It is the colour of a bleached skull, his flesh; and the long hair which flows below his shoulders is milk-white. The author was able to compare in self worth by saying it was as dirt, so much so that the dirt was written in his skin. by Harry Allard, he begins the story with a teacher who is at her wits end with her students. Subscribe to Good Housekeeping magazine now. It can also show behavior. Heres the description Allard gives her: A woman in an ugly black dress stood before them, Miss Nelsons kids did as they were told. She wore gloves too. Average book word count: how many words should I write? All the color he had., a girl-child who appeared to be about four years old. No wonder the book has inspired both a film and an award-winning musical. Nice and steady. But her loose fair hair was wet; there was a wreath of roses on her head. Its impossible not to love this gloomy donkey, a firm favourite both from the original classic books and subsequent Disney adaptations. She wore gloves too. He kept dwelling on images of flowers, he fancied a charming flower garden, a bright, warm, almost hot day, a holidayTrinity day. Not too fast and not too slow, Fast enough to get somewhere, but not too fast to miss anything. In order to get them to behave, she dresses up as the scary Viola Swamp. Svidrigalov knew that girl; there was no holy image, no burning candle beside the coffin; no sound of prayers: the girl had drowned herself. Despite his lovably downcast demeanour, Eeyore is a sweet example of the power of friendship. Possession of anything new or expensive only reflected a persons lack of theology and geometry; it could even cast doubts upon ones soul., He was a compact, clearcut man, with precise features, a lot of very soft black hair, and thoughtful dark brown eyes. She didnt encourage familiarity. Shes bookish and brilliant and sometimes, she has to be a little bit naughty. Her eyes were Fremen blue, staring out of a soft, round face. And this one: Mr. ), His wiry gray and black hair was dripping with sweat, and his face was the color and texture of old paper. A light, cool staircase, carpeted with rich rugs, was decorated with rare plants in china pots. Today, his eyes were a completely different color: a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone., Whith her hair dyed bright red, she looks like Ronald McDonalds post-menopausal sister. A slow widening of her thin black lips to show even, small white teeth, then the slow effortless closing. Blue shadows under his eyes, suggest unhealthiness, and the rather comical phrase, his last haircut had been done with a weed whacker, captures his unkempt appearance and damaged state. Consider: How is this person viewed by another character? Do they seem dangerous, alluring, secretive, suspicious? Thank you for the awesome list. You want your reader to be asking questions about this character, to not only learn something about them but to create mystery.

Wonderful! If she played with her finger paints in the front yard, she wiped her hands on the neighbors cat.. Well, a small clue might be in the title of this book.. But she was color. Its okay to feel different. It facedor seemed to facethe whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor., My brother Bens face, thought Eugene, is like a piece of slightly yellow ivory; his high white head is knotted fiercely by his old mans scowl; his mouth is like a knife, his smile the flicker of light across a blade. Dirt seemed so worked into him that the lines of his face were like writing., And then the hot air congealed in front of him, and out of it materialized a transparent man of most bizarre appearance. The floors were strewn with freshly-cut fragrant hay, the windows were open, a fresh, cool, light air came into the room. He had a green army jacket tied around his waist and a green canvas bag slung over his shoulder. David Walliams first novel of his many brilliant books is touching and hilarious. Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged, but then no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. The only non-green thing about him was the pair of scruffy black walking boots on his feet. When she is not working on her stories, you can find her curled up under a fuzzy blanket with a book or her sketchbook. Despite his flaws, you find yourself rooting for him, willing him to escape from prison because deep down, its clear he has a good heart. Like this article? Adding details like this will make your audience more invested in your story, and help your readers immerse themselves in your characters world. An important character in a very important book. When she put on an old dress the bosom hung empty and the hem swept the floor. Whether you are describing your main character or a supporting character, these descriptions signal to the audience what kind of person the character will be. Adding subtle clues like this in your character descriptions will not only make your writing more interesting, but also give your audience important details about your characters environment. Perhaps the cold, or the dampness, or the dark, or the wind that howled under the window and tossed the trees roused a sort of persistent craving for the fantastic. Those had appeared suddenly and in abundance about two years ago.

Character descriptions are not always all about telling your audience what your character looks like. He was my heightfive feet eight and a half inchesHe weighed a hundred and fifty pounds, a galling ten pounds more than I did, which flowed from his legs to torso around shoulders to arms and full strong neck in an uninterrupted, unemphatic unity of strength., -the dead body of a womanthe white face turned upward, the hands thrown out and clutched full of grass, the clothing deranged, the long dark hair in tangles and full of clotted blood. From the tapering, beautiful head stare two slanting eyes, crimson and moody, and from the loose sleeves of his yellow gown emerge two slender hands, also the colour of bone, resting on each arm of a seat which has been carved from a single, massive ruby.. Here are some of our all-time favourites. With his love of motor cars, smart attire and rascally nature, Mr Toad is a brilliantly drawn childrens book character. He was of middle size and of ordinary build. Lines creased the corners of her eyes, though she was still pretty young, and I could see as she moved around the kitchen that she was hunched over as if an invisible weight rested on her shoulders.. Thanks for this very useful compilation for teaching makes life so much easier! Introducing a character through their appearance or behavior can really make or break them, so first impressions are everything. Its eyes were enormous, the size of goose eggs and milky white. Miss Viola Swamp was a real witch. It was hard to say., Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged, but then no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. In the book Miss Nelson Is Missing! And she had destroyed herself, crushed by an insult that had appalled and amazed that childish soul, had smirched that angel purity with unmerited disgrace and torn from her a last scream of despair, unheeded and brutally disregarded, on a dark night in the cold and wet while the wind howled. It was Bagheera the Black Panther, inky black all over, but with the panther markings showing up in certain lights like the pattern of watered silk. Use this as an example of how physical appearances arent always the most important thing. Perhaps thats just the way a body looks after five children.. As a child, I longed for a golden ticket myself, the chance to explore the magnificent factory, see the swirling chocolate river and spot an Oompa Loompa. He looked up at me from where he was seated on his bunk, and his eyes were hot and bright and moisture was beaded across his upper lip. give him a recognisable humanity that makes him even more lovable. No I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allen Poe: Nor am I one of your Hollywood movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids -- and I might even be said to possess a mind. When at last he began to speak, it sounded almost as though he were singing, sadly, in a dream., I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be., He is himself his own World, his own Universe; of any other than himself he can form no conception; he knows not Length, nor Breadth, nor Height, for he has had no experience of them; he has no cognizance even of the number Two; nor has he a thought of Plurality, for he is himself his One and All, being really Nothing., Her long platinum blond hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders, with a few black peekaboo strands. . Flowers laugh, but she smiled often. I figured she was the kind of woman who could make buffalo walk on up to her and give up their lives. Sad Truth: If your characters are bad, no one will like your story. They are relatable, fun, flawed, and they teach moral lessons for life. How do they view/react to certain situations compared to how others would? Such as trying to describe: Describing your character in an innovative way will help retain the readers interest. ., For those of you who want to write a novel, visit this post: 12 Steps to Write a Bestselling Novel., When the old king saw this he foamed with rage, stared wildly about, flung himself on the ground and died., He was commonplace in complexion, in feature, in manners, and in voice. Who has let herself go., (This is one of my favorites, because I find it ridiculously funny), His brown hair was cropped, and it showed off the striking, He stood, which put him eye to eye with the dark-haired woman whose brilliant, burning gazepoured into his worthless soul like boiling tar, whose mouth frothed with furyand whose hand now curled, knuckles white, around a steak knife., (The author gives a lot of details about the characters emotions, but there is not one specific detail about neither of their appearances. Famously portrayed by Judy Garland in the iconic film of this classic novel, Dorothy is a timeless character who displays a wealth of evergreen emotion. Your email address will not be published. But she doesnt. She wasnt a glutton America is objective about her mothers appearance yet is still fond of her. Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.SIGN UP. Mine, for instance, is Dogger by Shirley Hughes, the story of a young boy, Dave, who loses his beloved cuddly toy. Reading these enabled me to rewrite the descriptions for my two leading characters. I echo Chriss comment Wowwwwww and add a few!!!! Thank you for this, very helpful!

It was as tall as a human man, yet oddly shrunken and hunched., When he did appear his eyes were as brown as I remembered, pupils flecked with gold like beach pebbles., His hair had been grown to counteract its unequivocal retreat from the top of his head, and was fashioned into a mean, frail ponytail that hung limply down his back. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. She had a delicate, aquiline nose, but a stubborn mouth and chin., Without her glasses Vivian did look a little frightening. Everybody knew Bagheera, and nobody cared to cross his path, for he was as cunning as Tabaqui, as bold as the wild buffalo, and as reckless as the wounded elephant. When she chose to smile on me, I always wanted to thank her., Whith her hair dyed bright red, she looks like Ronald McDonalds post-menopausal sister. The quote that stood out to me the most was the quote from The Census Taker. Or laugh in your face while you cut out his heart., Now here he was: sartorially, facially and interpersonally sharpened; every inch the beatific boffin., As always, there was an all-American war hero look to him, coded in his tousled brown hair, his summer-narrowed hazel eyes, the straight nose that ancient Anglo-Saxons had graciously passed on to him. She didnt encourage familiarity. Dennis was different. You never forget your favourite childrens book. From this passage, we learn both characters have red hair and we get a sense of their relationship. a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair., Character Development Jetpack: 6 Tricks & 9 Questions, How to Kill a Character (with 12 deadly examples). Christian motivational book against child abuse: The Last Ones best drama screenplay at the Los Angeles Film Awards, Simone B and the Magical Mirror new childrens book published #kidlit, Self-help book published From Chaos to Contentment, needs a ghostwriter to do the writing, but doesnt want to pay also for full character development, plans on writing a novel, a short story, a historical manuscript or a family history involving children. She wore a black aba, the hood thrown back to reveal the attachments of a stillsuit hanging free at her throat. To spoil her acting may be easy enough,shall they spoil her nature? I got a free #character development crib sheet for my #kidlit book. His hair was long and tangled and greasy, and hung down,and you could see his eyes shining through like he was behind vines. Get yours, too! What made them like this? Her mouth bowed forward and her brow sloped back, and her skull shone pink and speckled within a mere haze of hair, which hovered about her head like the remembered shape of an altered thing. Take Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary. Character descriptions are much like scene descriptionsand are just as essential for stories. That quote captured the characters feelings so well. From stories for young kids to novels for young adults, show, dont tell plays a huge factor in stories. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. Mr Wonka makes magic real and when it comes to childrens book characters, theres nothing better than that. The coffin was covered with white silk and edged with a thick white frill; wreaths of flowers surrounded it on all sides. Describing your character in an innovative way will help retain the readers interest. He practically glowed with irreverence, and there was an unholy gleam in his green eyes that proclaimed he would laugh in your face while cutting out your heat. Good old Ron. For those unfamiliar with Tantalus in Greek mythology, he is a prisoner in Tartarus who was punished by being surrounded with food and water that he couldnt eat or drink. Her elbows stuck out like wings, and a huge white enameled tub occupied the space above her head, somewhat miraculously holding steady while her head moved in quick jerks to the right and left., A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. He kept as still as a stone. How Cleary conveyed this through her writing is a prime example of show, dont tell. For a Five, she was a little on the heavy side, which was odd. She was giving up, Her face was not young, but it was simple; it was not fresh, but it was mild. He had one ankle resting on tother knee; the boot on that foot was busted, and two of histoes stuck through, and he worked them now and then. His greeting was a nod and a blink, befitting someone whod stepped out of the shadows only momentarily., Pale hair fell in waves to his shoulders, framing a face mortal females considered a sensual feast. He was not thinking of anything and did not want to think. Thank you. Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Hes loyal, funny, scatty and dopey is there anyone out there who doesnt love Ron Weasley? The protagonist Percy Jackson is seeing Tantalus for the first time. There warnt no color in his face, where his face showed;it was white; not like another mans white, but a white to make a body sick, a white to make abodys flesh crawl a tree-toad white, a fish-belly white. Shes opinionated yet sensitive, a brilliant character who shows a wealth of human emotion both as a child and an adult as we see in My Mum Tracy Beaker , the follow up written from the point of view of Tracys daughter, Jess. How often, crook-trunked tree, she looks to thy green boughs; how often, like thee, in her dreams, and fancies, does she struggle for the light,not the light of the stage-lamps., Living among those white-faced women with their rosaries and copper crosses, Though every vestige of her dress was burnt, as they told me, she still had something of her old ghastly bridal appearance; for, they had covered her to the throat with white cotton-wool, and as she lay with a white sheet loosely overlying that, the phantom air of something that had been and was changed, was still upon her., He wrapped himself in quotations as a beggar would enfold himself in the purple of Emperors., He was sunshine most always-I mean he made it seem like good weather., For a long time he said nothing. When she falls for Callum, a nought, she could ignore her feelings and live by her familys expectations. In teen fiction, character descriptions are everything. Tracy is the wild ten-year-old and self-proclaimed star of the Dumping Ground, the childrens home where she lives. Its an incredibly vivid memory, and if I close my eyes I can see it now. Its gray, slippery skin was stretched taut upon its face. Dr. Seuss books to cancel or not to cancel? And it doesnt make you any less wonderful. A slow widening of her thin black lips to show even, small white teeth, then the slow effortless closing. This is a great compilation! How long have they been this way? Writing Techniques to Transform Your Fiction, 12 Steps to Write a Bestselling Novel in 6 Months, Imagine the right characters for your story, Make your heroes and villains even more likeable/unlikeable. I dont think I ever saw Mrs. They didnt know the man was actually a devil in angels skin. There is also concern in Americas description in the latter half where she talks about how her mothers youth is betrayed by the invisible weight on her shoulders. What a well-formed mouth he had, and how the narrow eyes, the detailed deepened lids gave him such a range of expression, to open his gaze wide, or sink in cunning street., As Ive already said, the memory of Lucass walk brings a smile to my face. Through the character of 12-year-old Dennis, children are introduced to a very important message: individuality should be celebrated, not shunned. There was a cold damp draught from the window, however; without getting up he drew the blanket over him and wrapped himself in it. In childrens fiction, character description doesnt always have to be about appearance. She was giving way. He smelled faintly of dried sweat, Red Man, and talcum powder., I vividly remembered the flat black color of his eyes the last time he glared at me the color was striking against the background of his pale skin and his auburn hair. The birds were chirruping under the window, and in the middle of the room, on a table covered with a white satin shroud, stood a coffin. Required fields are marked *. It was a face to be dominated by, or to fight: never a face to patronize or pity. She appeared completely unafraid and there was a look to her stare that made the Baron feel uneasy for no reason he could explain., Ender did not see Peter as the beautiful ten-year-old boy that grown-ups saw, with dark, tousled hair and a face that could have belonged to Alexander the Great. A walk that both belonged to and was remote from everything around it., And she looked the way he had always hated herdreamy and sloppy, and sweet, with glasses falling down, smoking a cigarette, with ashes on her coat, but full of love, her body heavy and shapeless with age., As we drew closer, the figure became clearer, It was a young man, or a boy, dressed loosely in a drab green T-shirt and baggy green trousers. An easygoing lope. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering, and somewhat broken voice: all these were points against him, but all of them together could not describe the hitherto unknown disgust, loathing, and fear with which Mr. Utterson regarded him..