Full character descriptions?

[Pixxie]

I am of the school that you describe only what is relevant. You describe boobs if he is squeezing boobs, shown boobs or has a fetish for boobs. I don't go into detail about a woman's boobs unless something is going on with them -- the reader can make up whatever kind of boobs that they like.

I realize that this is erotic fiction and readers want a visual. In most stories that I read here, there is a paragraph near the beginning where the protagonist goes into complete detail about every aspect of their "object of affection."

In the comments that I get, people are asking for me to describe the object's body more. I admit, sometimes I forget to "be the reader" and I write too sparsely, but some things I feel best left for the imagination.

 

[sr71plt]

I think you're just reading the wrong stories here.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Try it on one story, and see how it goes-- but be sure to let your more imaginative readers know why you've done it, in a note at the beginning.

I'm kind of experimenting with infodumps. See if there are ways to make them palatable.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

I finished tying my shoe lace and stood up. Mary's boobs were staring me right in the eyes. Yes. Mary's boobs. Definitely Mary's boobs. Exactly five-foot eight inches from the floor. Cream-colored, with two-and-a-half inch auburn areolae high on the curve. And full. Not bulbous like a silicone job, but natural, with a soft and gentle concave curve where each hung from her chest. Their inner edges touched, offering a full line of cleavage even without a bra. She was a nearly perfect 38, but there was a slight asymmetry, just enough to be interesting. The right was a C-cup, but the left was a little heftier, a C+ if there were such a size. And her nipples. Asymmetry there as well. The right, long and narrow, almost a full inch protrusion from a deep sulcus, and surrounded by eleven tubercles of Montgomery in two neat concentric circles. The left, short, fully inverted with barely a sulcus and one tubercle that challenged it for anatomical and visual supremacy. The nipple won out with its inverted fold, grabing your attention with a wry smile.

Yes. Definitely Mary's boobs.

I looked up, up to where Mary's face should have been. Should have been, but wasn't. It was a face I had never seen before.

"Who are you?" I demanded, "and what are you doing with Mary's boobs?"

 

[Safe_Bet]

I know most y'all think you write better then him, but...

"The ideal woman which is in every man's mind is evoked by a word or phrase or the shape of her wrist, her hand. The most beautiful description of a woman is by understatement. Remember, all Tolstoy ever said to describe Anna Karenina was that she was beautiful and could see in the dark like a cat. Every man has a different idea of what's beautiful, and it's best to take the gesture, the shadow of the branch, and let the mind create the tree."
~ William Faulkner

 

[SydneyBlake]

I prefer info on a need-to-know basis

I think the infodumps are boring and the sign of an amateur. Character descriptions can be served in small portions, so as not to interfere with the action. And minute details, like bra sizes and dick size--please, spare me.

 

[lovecraft68]

I think the infodumps are boring and the sign of an amateur. Character descriptions can be served in small portions, so as not to interfere with the action. And minute details, like bra sizes and dick size--please, spare me.

I read a story on another site where the guys date ended up being a chick with a dick.

The guy described both the bra and dick size of the he/she. I'll send you the link.

 

[Pixxie]

Relevant information

I think dick size on a woman is very relevant information.

However, my style is to describe it, not give hard numbers (pun not intended).

Now that I think about it, infodumps are like reading a dossier on a person -- not interesting. Get back to the action, I say. Tell me how big her boobs are when they are in my hands.

 

[lovecraft68]

For cock, many times I have used the word "sizable" that way women can determine what that is to them. Could be 7 or 8" or for a size queen 10"

same thing with tits, I will use something simple like "large" or Full. Guys can determine how big they think large is that way the reader is deciding the right image for them, I am not supplying it.

 

[SydneyBlake]

I read a story on another site where the guys date ended up being a chick with a dick.

The guy described both the bra and dick size of the he/she. I'll send you the link.

That's a fetish of mine, did you know?

 

[lovecraft68]

That's a fetish of mine, did you know?

Not at first, but all that talk of pegging you used to threaten me with got me thinking.

 

[TE999]

Leave physical descriptions to a minimum and let the readers exercise their imaginations. For the unimaginative there are adult themed comic books.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

I think the infodumps are boring and the sign of an amateur. Character descriptions can be served in small portions, so as not to interfere with the action. And minute details, like bra sizes and dick size--please, spare me.

The details on a site such as ours tend to be the opposite of 'minute'

 

[dr_mabeuse]

One of the ways you involve readers in a story is by letting them help write it in their imagination. You should describe a character just enough to engage a reader's interest, and not so much that you interfere with their own image of them.

The same is true of pretty much every element in a story: place, atmosphere, action. You give enough detail to make the reader use their imagination and become a participant in the story rather than a mere spectator. That's the whole reason why we show, rather than tell. Showing makes the reader participate in the story as he has to understand what's going on, while telling does all that work for him and excludes him from the process. A wanted-poster description is all telling.

It's kind of interesting to notice what it is we remember about people we meet. The first thing is their physical appearance, but they pretty quickly take a back seat to what we assess about their personality, their attitude, and the effect they have on us; what psychologists call their "affect." Whether a woman's a 34B or a 38D isn't very important compared to whether we perceive her as being smart or seductive or silly or whatever. the length of a penis only matters if you think genitals are more interesting than the people who use them

 

[SydneyBlake]

The details on a site such as ours tend to be the opposite of 'minute'

lol

 

[SydneyBlake]

Not at first, but all that talk of pegging you used to threaten me with got me thinking.

Did it hurt?

 

[Boxlicker101]

That's a fetish of mine, did you know?

You might like my story "Mike and Chris Together." I have written quite a few stories about what I usually call T-girls.

 

[Pixxie]

Good rule of thumb

It's kind of interesting to notice what it is we remember about people we meet. The first thing is their physical appearance, but they pretty quickly take a back seat to what we assess about their personality, their attitude, and the effect they have on us; what psychologists call their "affect." Whether a woman's a 34B or a 38D isn't very important compared to whether we perceive her as being smart or seductive or silly or whatever. the length of a penis only matters if you think genitals are more interesting than the people who use them

An interesting point and a good rule of thumb: "If I met this person, what was my impression?" If I was out for a one night stand, physical traits might take a front seat.

Thanks Doc, I have been a long fan of your work.

 

[lovecraft68]

Did it hurt?

Nah, but it did set off the smoke detector.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

I think the infodumps are boring and the sign of an amateur. Character descriptions can be served in small portions, so as not to interfere with the action. And minute details, like bra sizes and dick size--please, spare me.

I read one story on here where 12 characters were described right up front in part 1 of 20, and never again. It was infuriating trying to keep which character was which straight in my head.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

I read one story on here where 12 characters were described right up front in part 1 of 20, and never again. It was infuriating trying to keep which character was which straight in my head.

Almost as infuriating as when I'm trying to study for my human anatomy practical and there are two girls in the lounge practicing guitar and singing in Vietnamese.

I'm sorry, I might just be projecting my own troubles onto this thread. Let me just cool down with another MURDER FANTASY!!!!

 

[glynndah]

Almost as infuriating as when I'm trying to study for my human anatomy practical and there are two girls in the lounge practicing guitar and singing in Vietnamese.

I'm sorry, I might just be projecting my own troubles onto this thread. Let me just cool down with another MURDER FANTASY!!!!

Done correctly, this could help quite a bit with that exam.

 

[lithium_haze]

The majority of my stories are based on true life experiences I had as a younger man. So I describe things in detail as much as possible without distracting the reader out of the story and back into the real world. The worst thing you can do is make your reader aware of the fact that they are reading. But, in the few fictional stories I have written I tend to be more vague. I think that allows the reader to use their imagination and enjoy the story a little bit more. Maybe by placing themselves in it.

 

[SamScribble]

My very first sexual partner wore a size 34B bra. I know this because she was a wear-test model for the bra manufacturer for whom I worked at the time, and all samples were made in 34B. But I can't tell you the bra size of any of the several other partners (and two wives) who have graced my life. I can tell you that at least one of them had quite large breasts. I can also tell that a couple of them had quite small breasts. I guess the rest were somewhere in between. But bra size? Who knows? And, more to the point, who cares? It's enough that each of them, in their own way, had/has a big personality.

 

[sr71plt]

According to my wife, she wears the "never-can-find-one-that-fits-right" bra size.