: Repeating the appearance of the main character in every book I don't know if this just happens to be a thing that's common in the books I read as a kid, but there was always that bit, in

I don't know if this just happens to be a thing that's common in the books I read as a kid, but there was always that bit, in the beginning of every book in the series, where the main character(s) were described. It was pretty much the same description in every book (the Nancy Drew books and the Sweet Valley Twins books come to mind here). In these books I sort of get it, cause you pretty much always picked the book that looked most interesting in the library and therefor never really read them in the right order.

Now last night I had to look up a thing in the third Harry Potter book and I realized that the same thing goes on here. Why would you in a book series that is meant to be read in chronological order describe the main character(s) in every book? Wouldn't that just bore the reader? I might be interested in knowing Harry has grown a few inches, but I already know he has dark hair and green eyes.

In what circumstances is it appropriate to describe the character in every book in the series and when should it be avoided?

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@Kevin153

Not every author follows this, but I'm of the opinion that a series should be written with at least minimal accommodations for a reader who enters it at any point --including some character descriptions and brief contextualization. People read books out of order all the time.

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: Repeating the appearance of the main character in every book I don't know if this just happens to be a thing that's common in the books I read as a kid, but there was always that bit, in

More posts by @Heady158

: Skipping telling to get to the showing - pros and cons In my style of writing, I often find that I lapse into relating what happens or has happened, usually via short, choppy, dead sentences.

: How ordinary must my protagonist be if the book is written from his/her point of view? What I've found in most books I've read is that the protagonist is "normal" and/or "average" (at least

: Questions about the rules of grammar, and how to properly apply them to writing. Note that questions asking to improve or check grammar of a specific piece are off-topic.

: Clear steps for developing a powerful inner conflict This question is similar to this one. However, it is different based on what I am looking for. I know what inner conflict is, and I know

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