I've recently read comments to the effect of "don't describe your characters," and was a little shocked to discover that there are actually people that promote this kind of nonsense.
Of course, it's possible to overdo it, but nothing at all is a bridge too... close?
In the video above, I look at character descriptions from a variety of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books, and try to glean some bits of wisdom from them.
I'll summarize here for readers:
- Don't interrupt the pace
- Too much description can set up "Chekov's guns" for the reader that never get satisfied
- About 1 sentence for bit characters (Fer-de-Lance, Some Buried Caesar, Over My Dead Body, Black Orchids)
- The first-person voice can be helpful because you can include the POV character's reactions
- Archie gives nicknames: Prisoner's Base "Dewdrop Irby"
- Archie dislikes rich men and butlers and makes fun of them
- Archie makes personal remarks: And Be A Villain, page 185 (Bantam Paperback): "Usually I am tolerant of the red-faced plump type, but..."
- Archie banters with Wolfe about a character
- For recurring characters, introduce them quickly but differently in each book
- Fred Durkin
- Saul Panzer
- Fritz
- Use concrete details but limit yourself to one or two strong ones: face shape/type, dress style, attitude--make sure it's unique for each character in the book, so that the reader can get a "caricature" image of each character
More quotes and stuff in the video!
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