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Topic : Re: Should I need to add Face Description of all Characters? I am writing a novel. Should I need to add Face Description ( or the personality ) of all the Characters? Is there a template that - selfpublishingguru.com

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It may depend on your Point of View. I think my answer is fair enough from Omniscient POV, but as I'm looking through various books lately, it may not hold for 3rd limited. I do not know for certain.

No. You do not. You especially do not need to limit yourself to the face.

However, your decision on this question will impact the story you tell and the reader's experience. You should describe traits in the service of informing the reader about character. Face is a good place to start but you can describe other things too.

Here's my advice. I am going to pan out from 'face' although some of the advice is specifically about face.

For your main characters, the ones that have names and appear in many chapters, who drive the story, provide a description at the character's first appearance in the story.

It should not be a list. Instead, you should identify traits that are distinctive and that give us insight into the character. Imagine Snape, from Harry Potter. He has long stringy hair. Or greasy hair. Or a dark curtain of hair. These ways of describing him give us an image, but also fit his personality. Hermione, on the other hand, has a mane of untamed hair. This fits her personality better - If she had greasy hair, we'd expect her to be sinister.

It doesn't have to be hair ... You can describe shoulders: Broad or slumped or angular. You can describe eyes, cheekbones, height, weight, skin tone, general countenance, age - Any of these can be used to enhance our understanding of character.

I like descriptions to serve as many purposes as possible. So, as an example, if I want to hint that characters are related, I'll make sure they share a physical feature.
It is a good idea for your characters' physical traits to be reiterated later. Like, if Hermione has a daughter named Beatrice, she might be introduced as "Beatrice, who had straight hair, nothing at all like her mother's." This is a way to remind us that Hermione has crazy hair.

A character trait like blue eyes can be compared to the sky, or a blue lagoon, etc. What this sort of comparison does, is avoid a simple listing of traits, and instead provides a 'feel' for the character. Green eyes like a field of new grass fits a nice person; green eyes like envy, or like a stagnant lake, does not.
For your secondary characters, still named, appearing in some chapters, you still should provide a trait, this anchors their scenes a little bit. But, it can be very simple and straightforward.

Depending how minor they are, the 'trait' could be something they typically wear. 'The chauffeur's jacket was pressed at all times, its seams crisp. His shoes were always shined. It was his effort at making up for his low station.' (or something, to indicate character.)
Very minor, unnamed characters do not need to be described. "The foot soldier brought the sword.

I have a businessman in one scene, and he is only described as 'squinting up at (main character).' I don't actually describe him at all, but his action implies that he is short and possibly older.

Have fun with it.


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