Characters

[secuctivewife]

I am a new author and old reader of Literotica Fiction. I am hoping that other authors can help me as I develop my first story to submit. My question is...When developing a story, is it always necessary to describe characters to the reader, or can and author leave the description to the reader occasionally? Also, do you think that partial descriptions of the character will work in the story as well? I would appreciate all comments and suggestions. Thanks!!

 

[Star of Penumbra]

Personally, I prefer both reading and writing general descirptions. It gives you a general idea of what the characters look like, but It doesn't waste time and space going into detail.

"He ran his four inch wide hands down her body and cupped her 36DD breasts."

Hmm. No. Too fucking much information. I can live without knowing exactly how big the prick's hands are.

"He ran his big hands down her body and cupped her large, soft breasts."

Much better. It leaves some room for imagination without being too vague.

 

[secuctivewife]

Thanks for your suggestion. It makes total sense, and I kind of knew that, but it is good to know that I am on the right track.

 

[medjay]

The best rule of thumb when handling description is: Show, not tell. Revealing description through action is more fluid and doesn't bog down the flow of the prose.

 

[secuctivewife]

Thank you for your insight. I appreciate that you took the time to try to help me. I read your profile and wish you luck with your venture in writing. Smiles!

 

[SexyChele]

I have written one story where the character was totally undescribed. Absolutely no information about her whatsoever. Now, while the story itself has never done very well, I've never once gotten any negative feedback that the character was not described. Hopefully, folks are concentrating on the feelings I'm writing about, yet I suppose they are simply imagining what she would look like.

I think it is far better to leave more to the imagination of the reader. Some description is good, but there is a point where people go overboard. You will find folks here call it a "laundry list".

Good luck to you!

 

[Axeltheswede]

An exercise conducted in many college composition courses usually yields similar results. Twenty students read the same short story. No physical descriptions of the characters are stated in the story. Students are asked to describe each character. Results are very similar from student to student.

The exercise demonstrates how characters can be drawn in subtle ways. The writer may not be consciously aware of how he is drawing on his mental image of his characters.

Interestingly, some participants in the exercise can describe characters only in relation to each other. Most come up with individual descriptions that include backgrounds and tastes.

 

[secuctivewife]

Thank you soo much for your answers to my questions. You have given me much insight in developing my characters. I find that I don't like too much description of scenery, characters, etc. but I thought that it was just me. I am glad to hear that I am not abnormal. I really do appreciate the suggestions and advice that you have given!

 

[ronde]

Readers can and will gladly fill in the blanks in character descriptions, but I usually give as much description as the character and the story need. If the character is minor, it is enough to describe him as a tall man, or a plain woman. If some aspect of a main character's physical appearance or personality is vital to the story, the author should make sure the reader knows this trait prior to the point where it becomes important.

Sometimes, gradual descriptions work well, as in a case where one character is slowly discovering the other.

I agree with Star of Penumbra that it isn't necessary to give enough description to satisfy a tailor. If she has large breasts, just call them large, and let the reader make them as large as he or she desires. Part of the fun of reading is visualizing the characters in your mind, and if we can form them to our ideal, so much the better.

Showing is definitely better than telling. It also works well to have another character make the description, but I don't like a multi-sentence description where every sentence starts with "she was, she had, she looked", etc. This reads very choppy. Instead of writing;

She had long brown hair and smooth shoulders

try saying something like:

The long, brunette tresses softly caressed her smooth shoulders as she spun at the sound of his voice.

It reads better and doesn't seem repetitive or terse.

 

[damppanties]

read this...

Hi seductivewife,

There's an article about this in the Writer's Resources by Quint. Its called Creative Construction of Character. Here's the link if you're interested:
http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=43406

Hope it helps.

-DP.

 

[Uther_Pendragon]

I am a new author and old reader of Literotica Fiction. I am hoping that other authors can help me as I develop my first story to submit. My question is...When developing a story, is it always necessary to describe characters to the reader, or can and author leave the description to the reader occasionally? Also, do you think that partial descriptions of the character will work in the story as well? I would appreciate all comments and suggestions. Thanks!!

:
Generally, in erotic stories, physical descriptions are
more often overdone than underdone. In particular, breasts
described by cup size and cocks described in inches.
People can be tall or short, fat or thin, when that matters
in the story. If you describe someone, you should probably
use a description that occurs to another character.
I'm presently working on a story where the hero is 6' 6" and has
a basso profundo voice. It is important in the story line.
There is a general rule here. Descibe what would strike
the other characters, and describe that early. Otherwise
leave it alone.
Too often, the author tries to describe the female lead
so as to be sexually attractive in general. But what is
important is what makes her attractive for the male lead,
If that is merely large, firm, breasts and a shapely ass,
that can make the male lead appear shallow.
My #1 hero is Bob Brennan. He thinks his wife is "the sexiest woman in the state of Michigan." But he also appreciates her sense of humor.

 

[seductivewife]

Re: read this...

Hi seductivewife,

There's an article about this in the Writer's Resources by Quint. Its called Creative Construction of Character. Here's the link if you're interested:
http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=43406

Hope it helps.

-DP.

Since posting I have read some of the articles, and I found Quint's article to be quite helpful! I thank you for the info. I have been "researching" as much as I can before I submit my story and make a "fool" of myself. Ha ha. I want everyone that posts on here to know that I totally appreciate all of the help and helpful natures here! (did that come out right?) Anyway, THANKS!! Oh, by the way, I fixed my name. Hehe

 

[Coolville]

generally speaking (and it's mentioned already) it is important to give as much detail in the least amount of space. Now I make my living writing screenplays - a genre that is fantastically, irritatingly compact and demanding. But I have a little tiny thing I use every time, on every page. An example:
Never write: He went over to the little house.
There are different types of 'going over' and different types of houses. There are different reasons for going over to houses.
I always use the above example to make myself think different. And things get better.
He sprinted to the red cottage. He legged it to the wooden shack. He ambled lazily over to the massive door of the mansion. He walked, with determination in his step, over to the dusty adobe.
Maybe that helps.

 

[seductivewife]

All of the suggestions put forth so far, have helped me tremendously. I really appreciate that you all would take the time to reply to my question. I hope to use these suggestions in my stories and put out the best erotic fiction that I can.

 

[Whispersecret]

Some might find nailing down a character's physical attributes to be limiting, but I find that establishing a physical description actually frees me to write more.

For example, let's say your character has blue eyes. Having this established makes it possible for you to write:

When his finger delved into her moist opening, her eyes darkened to the color of the deep ocean.

If you hadn't described her eyes already (hopefully in a non-laundry list manner), you would not be able to write this type of narrative. If I didn't have the basics of physical appearance down in my own mind, I would find it much more difficult to write.

 

[seductivewife]

Wow!! I got an instant picture from that description. I have read your essays, and I have learned a lot from them. Hopefully, I can write like that when I am done!! Thanks sooo much for the advice.

 

[Quint]

The post that I would like to touch more on (although it seems anticlimactic after I've already been plugged ::blushes: is Uther's, in which he mentions naming what is essential and leaving the rest unsaid. The lovely, although sometimes mindlessly frustrating, thing about Lit is the diversity of readers. One man's sex kitten is another man's sister, which might make her HIS sex kitten as well, depending on that man. Some men are ass men; some men are repulsed by anal sex and would just as soon forget that the ass exists, an impossible feat if you've just mentioned the heroine's daunting derriere. A sure way to guarantee NOT to displease your audience is to leave the bulk of the description to them. I personally prefer dark men with piercing eyes, so if I read about a man with the face of an angel rather than the devil I so enjoy, I lose marginal interest. If it is not crucial to the story that this man possess a baby face, don't feel obliged to write it in.

Exceptions are when you truly love a particular image and want it engraved upon every reader's mind, but that is personal preference and beyond the scope of this advice. Also, as Uther said, play up what plays a role. It is doubtful that large breasts ever make a serious difference in a character's life. Besides, the audience that delights in DDs will automatically envision them in your story, as long as you don't say anything to the contrary. Everyone is pleased--except those pesky people who seem to revel in the repetition of cup sizes, but that's an audience I can ignore with an easy conscience. Do what feels natural and emphasizes the story, rather than attempting to conceal it with paragraphs of description.

 

[superlittlegirl]

Well said, Quint.

Your PM is full.

--Freya

 

[Guest]

Sometimes........

Sometimes it CAN be done, though it's fairly hard to do and get away with.

What I have done on occassion is give VERY brief descriptions without going into a full body...part by part review. Hell...I could do two pages on just trying to describe someone. If you believe it's important to the reader to give someone's height as a part of their character, then do so. But if it's not really pertinent to the story...why bother?

Another thing....I don't always lead off with a description either...alot of writers will do that, and from some I've seen, it's like the writer wants to hurry up and get that part out of the way so they can get back to the story.

My feeling is......and as some of the better writers on here also do, they make the description a story in and of itself. Which it should be to keep the interest.

And yes....giving dimensions to body parts tends to ruin a story for me. I like to use my OWN imagination when I'm reading a story.

If you tell me the 6' blonde with 38DD tits is sucking a nine inch cock...then hell, half my pleasure's been stolen picturing the scene in my mind.

Instead...I like, "The tall blonde's full firm breasts swayed sensually back and forth as she sucked on his enormous swollen member."

Or something to that affect. But point being....now I'm the one getting to visualize how big her tits are, how tall she is...or even how big I want this guys cock to be.

Just one man's opinion though.........

To sleep........perchance to dream - William Shakespear

I remain.......

 

[Whispersecret]

You're welcome, Seductivewife. Happy to have helped.

There is a thread that came up about this same subject somewhere. It was within the last couple of months, I think. You might try looking in this forum for it.

I had another thought about character description.

You should also strive to avoid a lengthy paragraph of straight description. Like antibiotics, sometimes physical description should be given a little at a time. Try interspersing it with the action.

Instead of:

Marcy was a looker all right. Her breasts filled out her bra to bursting and the low neckline of her blouse did nothing to hide it. She had a tiny waist and a bellybutton ring that winked with a small sapphire. The short skirt she wore as part of her barmaid uniform emphasized her long legs to perfection.

You might try this:

Marcy leaned over the table to wipe it down, giving Bernard a spectacular view of her deep cleavage. His mouth went dry as he imagined plunging his face between those plump breasts.

She slapped the dishrag on her tray and nodded at him. "What can I getcha?"

He stared at her tiny sapphire bellybutton ring as he said, "Corona with lime."

"Be right back with that."

Bernard watched her saunter back toward the bar . The short skirt she wore emphasized her long legs. Damn if he wasn't hard. He wondered what time she got off work.

The reason why you mix description in with the action is that sometimes straight description slows the pace of the story. In this MTV age, people's attention spans aren't what they used to be. In novels you can get away with chunkier description, but I'm assuming most of the people here are writing shorter stories, which must, by definition, move along faster.

I hope this helps.

(Edited to fix a spelling error.)