Imagining your characters

[iwannadobadthingswithyou]

This is a two parter and I'd love to get your thoughts on both topics.

1. How detailed is the image of your characters in your mind? Unless they're based on real people, do you build a complete image in your head to the point that you can see their face clearly, you can imagine them smiling, walking into a room? Or is it more of a generic image, for example a blonde apparition with a crooked smile?
I try to make the images as clear and detailed as possible, I find it helps me put myself in their shoes easier. Sometimes, it even surprises me when I start with an idea and drift off into something unexpected and I find facets of the character I didn't think about.

2. Related to the point above, I've been using ChatGPT to generate images of my characters. I feed it a very detailed description that is in my head and ask it to produce an image that is usually not quite what I had in my mind. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised and go with the image it built, other times we go through numerous iterations to get where I want.
Do you think it would be weird to add links to these images at the end or at the beginning of the story so that the reader has an image together with the text? Or is it better to leave it to the reader's imagination? Can I even add links, does the site allow it? The images are 100% non-sexual. The characters are fully dressed, they are alone in the picture and the background may be related to the story (a pub, a party etc) or is just a generic background

 

[dirk2024]

1. My characters are somewhat defined in my mind as I write, but I leave much open to the reader.

2. From what I've read from other authors here, it seems like the general recommendation is to leave it open to the reader to translate the author's hints into the reader's vision.

To answer another question you asked, Literotica does offer the "Illustrated" category. https://www.literotica.com/c/illustrated-erotic-fiction

EDIT - I just reviewed a few stories in the Illustrated category. The illustrations are now whited out, so apparently Literotica no longer offers this service category?

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I have a general idea of the looks of my characters, but no more than that. I never give really detailed physical descriptions. But I do always have their personalities and quirks worked out, all that makes them interesting and special.

Their smiles, smirks, teasing looks, looks of longing and desire, and especially the looks of unspoken love, those I imagine in my mind's eye when I write the appropriate scene, not before.

To answer your question, I think you should always leave some room for the reader's imagination to create something that's theirs only. I think they appreciate it.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

1. I cast people as my characters. Actors, models, singers, and all kinds of performers. My descriptions are vague on purpose: I don't want to bog down anyone with too many details, and sometimes a single key feature is enough to determine the character's appearance. I've been doing this since I started writing.
2. I don't think Lit is okay with AI images, given that they are not okay with AI text. As an artist myself, I'm not okay with AI images either. Now, my first novel was a graphic novel, and I can tell you this: unless you're writing a story with the purpose to illustrate it, don't put images in it, unless you feel like the illustrations are going to support the story. If you're just going to put a single picture to help the readers visualize the characters either at the beginning, or at the end, just don't. Don't underestimate the reader.

 

[NotWise]

I always have a mental image the characters. I'll describe them if their appearance plays a role in the story, otherwise I might describe one detail and leave it at that. I doubt I've ever done no description.

 

[XerXesXu]

No detailed descriptions. A quick, general description of the type of person, physically and personality, they are, filled in with details of appearance etc, if and when they become material to the story.

 

[NuclearFairy]

I am still figuring out how I want to describe my characters. But, I do have a very detailed image in my head for them. Even for the minor ones that're just background characters with no name or dialog. But then, that might just be part of being an entirely visual thinker.

 

[Bloodandglitter]

All my characters are based off real people but strictly looks only. I created all their personalities myself. I describe them a lot in my story but if you don't know who they are based on, then you will form your own picture in your head.

 

[PennyThompson]

1. I kind of can't help but imagine characters, and the more I like the character the more vibrant their physical form becomes. Once I start writing about their personality and view of the world and the way they talk, the rest of them takes shape whether I like it or not For some stories I might choose not to write down some of those details, but they're available to me if I need them.

2. Setting aside the ethical conversation about AI image generation, you aren't able to add links to your story that go outside of Literotica's domain. You can link to other stories, or to author profiles, but not to an image hosting site.

 

[Cagivagurl]

Regardless of whether I'm reading, or writing. I do build completely detailed images of characters.
It's why I love to read, rather than watch movies.
My mind builds the images from the written descriptions.
It might be the writers world, but I decipher it my way...
Movies have often destroyed my favourite characters, where I have read the book first...

Cagivagurl

 

[alohadave]

Do you think it would be weird to add links to these images at the end or at the beginning of the story so that the reader has an image together with the text? Or is it better to leave it to the reader's imagination? Can I even add links, does the site allow it? The images are 100% non-sexual. The characters are fully dressed, they are alone in the picture and the background may be related to the story (a pub, a party etc) or is just a generic background

You'd need to link to a picture on Lit's server, you can't link externally in stories. That means posting in one of the forums, and hoping that the pictures aren't removed at some future time for being AI, or for any other reason.

 

[Cagivagurl]

My favourite authors are the ones who give you just enough.
They don't give specific details unless it's necessary.
They allow, us the readers to add the details.
The cute smiles, the dimples, the curvy or svelte figures.
They let us build the sound tracks, the characters accent's, their voices...
Great authors know when enough is enough...

Cagivagurl

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I have a vague idea of what my characters look like. I tend to describe my characters through the observations of other characters.
Everyone has a different idea of what handsome, beautiful, cute, sexy, plain, homely, etc means. Establish the character is attractive, or not, and let the reader paint a picture in her mind.

 

[ronde]

This is a two parter and I'd love to get your thoughts on both topics.

1. How detailed is the image of your characters in your mind? Unless they're based on real people, do you build a complete image in your head to the point that you can see their face clearly, you can imagine them smiling, walking into a room? Or is it more of a generic image, for example a blonde apparition with a crooked smile?
I try to make the images as clear and detailed as possible, I find it helps me put myself in their shoes easier. Sometimes, it even surprises me when I start with an idea and drift off into something unexpected and I find facets of the character I didn't think about.

2. Related to the point above, I've been using ChatGPT to generate images of my characters. I feed it a very detailed description that is in my head and ask it to produce an image that is usually not quite what I had in my mind. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised and go with the image it built, other times we go through numerous iterations to get where I want.
Do you think it would be weird to add links to these images at the end or at the beginning of the story so that the reader has an image together with the text? Or is it better to leave it to the reader's imagination? Can I even add links, does the site allow it? The images are 100% non-sexual. The characters are fully dressed, they are alone in the picture and the background may be related to the story (a pub, a party etc) or is just a generic background

To answer 1. - My characters are more stereotypes than fleshed out, and I never go into much detail about them in my stories. I've always felt that readers would rather paint the picture in their mind than see a photograph. My descriptions are what you called generic - tall, short, fat, slender, well endowed, wide hips, etc. I convey personalities through dialogue. That theory is somewhat borne out by he comments I get. I'm always amazed at how different readers can come to different conclusions about a given character.

Completely describing a character can also be severely limiting for an author. What if you're half way through a story and you suddenly realize your prudish blonde would never do what you're writing that she's doing? Even if you don't realized it, your readers will.

To answer 2. - I fail to see the apparent fascination some authors have with the various AI software available. The picture of a character I form in my mind is far better than anything software can possibly generate. I believe you have proven that to yourself when you say sometimes several iterations are required before you're satisfied. I don't understand why an author would take the time to have software generate the "perfect" character when that character is already in their head. Only the words written by the author can allow the reader into the character as a person and not just a cardboard cutout.

Literotica might allow your links, but if you put them at the beginning of the story, that's sort of like giving away the plot before you start. Characters need to develop over time unless the story is very short.

If you put them at the end, some readers are going to give you a comment like, "This was OK until I saw the picture and that ruined it for me."

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

NEVER ever do the chatty thingey. NEVER. Not Ever.

I'm becoming quite disgusted with all of those blank stare faces polluting search results.



I do as many of the others ... a basic outline ... tall, trim, fit, maybe mention hair color or eyes. Never specifics. I let the reader create their own image.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I know exactly what my characters look like and depending on how important those characters are to the story I will describe them in vivid detail.

 

[Nynah]

I'm mildly surprised no one has mentioned the AH cardinal rule of character description: if you're going to describe your characters with any level of detail, skip body proportion measurements. It's tacky to read how the main female love interest is 36-24-36 with 36DD breasts and the main male love interest has a 10-inch dong. The size of these things is rarely pertinent to the story and even if they are, most authors here will tell you that there are better ways of weaving that information into the narrative.

Regarding AI imagery: I recommend against using any sort of genAI image generator. The slop it comes up with is cobbled together from art stolen from actual human artists. And the more AI images generated, the more the Internet becomes saturated with them, leading to more and more enshittification of search results. No one wants that.

Don't use genAI images. Not for your characters, your cover art, avatar, whatever. It does no one any good and it's just stealing from real people who didn't consent to getting their art scraped by an AI engine.

 

[ElectricBlue]

1. How detailed is the image of your characters in your mind? Unless they're based on real people, do you build a complete image in your head to the point that you can see their face clearly, you can imagine them smiling, walking into a room? Or is it more of a generic image, for example a blonde apparition with a crooked smile?

Very detailed, either because the character is based on someone I know in real life, or my imagination kicks in on a fictional character. I'll often see a picture and say, yes, that's who I'm thinking of. I rarely describe them explicitly, but by the end of the story I reckon the overall word picture the reader gets will be very close to mine.

2. Related to the point above, I've been using ChatGPT to generate images of my characters. I feed it a very detailed description that is in my head and ask it to produce an image that is usually not quite what I had in my mind. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised and go with the image it built, other times we go through numerous iterations to get where I want.

Real people in photos for me. AI images are too plastic, and too many distortions for me. Clawed hands, eyes that don't match

Do you think it would be weird to add links to these images at the end or at the beginning of the story so that the reader has an image together with the text? Or is it better to leave it to the reader's imagination?

You can't add external links to stories, so that's a no. If your word pictures are well drawn, let the reader use their imagination.

Can I even add links, does the site allow it?

No.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I'm mildly surprised no one has mentioned the AH cardinal rule of character description: if you're going to describe your characters with any level of detail, skip body proportion measurements. It's tacky to read how the main female love interest is 36-24-36 with 36DD breasts and the main male love interest has a 10-inch dong. The size of these things is rarely pertinent to the story and even if they are, most authors here will tell you that there are better ways of weaving that information into the narrative.

Here's something else that goes on here. Those of us who do advocate detailed physical descriptions are flatly assumed by many AHers that we mean list descriptions with cup sizes etc and they shout us down. Of course that's terrible writing 99.9999% of the time. But it is perfectly possible to describe a character in detail without any measurements etc. Detailed descriptions can also be done very subtly, and don't have to be listed out in one paragraph. Description elements can be scattered throughout a scene, clothing, hair style, eye color, makeup, etc can be dropped in here and there between lines of dialogue for instance, among other ways. We can still give tons of detail without dropping a list, and we can still do it all early in the story, even the very first scene so that no one gets blindsided in chapter 4 when they find out that the busty blonde that they have been imagining all along is actually a skinny freckled ginger.

Not that stopping for a good detailed paragraph of description is a bad thing. It all depends on how we want to reveal the character, gradually or all at once.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Another thing about character descriptions is that it's super rare for anyone to give facial shapes in descriptions. You never read about tapered jaws, arched eyebrows, round cheeks, aqualine noses. Once in a while we will read about full lips.

Also, when characters' wardrobes are described, there is usually little imagination. Grey business suit ... white low cut blouse and red short skirt ... black t-shirt and jeans ... black suit and red tie ... Where are the stripes, the polka-dots, the paisleys, the pinstripes? Where are the band t-shirts and graphic prints?

Accessories are another thing. These will get a bit more mentions than the clothing detail above, but how many times does some hot woman enter the restaurant and have no fucking purse??? Come on. Handbags, hats, bracelets, funky boots. Many of these things can make even average characters sexy. Our characters could use more imagination.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

^^ I remember describing one carrying a evening bag just large enough to be able to refresh her makeup.


When you don't get specific, you get comments like : " most people do hot believe when they are told that men are visual creatures, descriptions of mom and the girls i.e. height, weight, body measurements does go a long way in the fantasy process "

 

[StillStunned]

I tend to avoid explicit detailed descriptions. I feel that allowing the reader to create a picture in their mind makes them more engaged with the story. They're helping to write it, instead of just reading what the writer has imagined.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

^^ I remember describing one carrying a evening bag just large enough to be able to refresh her makeup.

When you don't get specific, you get comments like : " most people do hot believe when they are told that men are visual creatures, descriptions of mom and the girls i.e. height, weight, body measurements does go a long way in the fantasy process "

Tell that to all the people who say "I have too much description. let the reader fill in the blanks with the image of their own fantasy." It is one of the most common things that people say in AH and more often than not they say it with defiance or even anger.

 

[Writer61]

1. How detailed is the image of your characters in your mind? Unless they're based on real people, do you build a complete image in your head to the point that you can see their face clearly, you can imagine them smiling, walking into a room? Or is it more of a generic image, for example a blonde apparition with a crooked smile?

Like others above, I avoid detailed descriptions of characters but they are usually based (appearance only) on real people, some I know, others are celebrities, and there a few randoms from the internet. When I am writing, their face serves as a sort of key in my head.

 

[Erozetta]

I hav a detailed image of each character in my head, the story plays out like a movie while I'm writing it. But I don't include detailed descriptions for anything that isn't important to the story.

If I want to note a size difference between characters, I do so without listing heights or "he was tall, she was short." It'll happen in movement or dialogue.

Example:

"I fucked up, man. Her cheeks got all red and when she came at me, I just reacted. I put my hand on her forehead and kept her away from me, which only pissed her off more!"

Or

He watched her struggle for a moment, amused and curious at both her determination to not need his help and the way her body flexed as she stretched up towards the upper cabinet. She's gonna hurt herself. It only took a second to walk over and grab the dish she wanted, then he sat it on top of the cabinet and leaned back, arms folded as he smirked.

"Ask nicely and I'll get it down for you."

She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth and narrowed her eyes, then grabbed his shoulder and put her foot on his thigh, boosted herself onto the counter, retrieved the dish, then hopped down before she flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked away, head held high.

Both indicate some sort of height difference, a seemingly significant one. But they also depict personality and movement within the scene, they aren't taking an inventory of character details for a police sketch, which is what most people are lamenting when they say "don't do too many details!" Because reading those character descriptions add nothing to the story and they are a chore to get through. Slipping in details that don't look or necessarily read as details, is a great way to establish your character both visually and by personality.

For me, personally, what a character looks like holds very little appeal over how they behave. Who they are is more arousing to me than any physical detail that could be conveyed about them. But I understand that some people want to read a story about a perky redhead, or a man with an exceptionally strong physique, I'm just not gonna cater to them because that's not what appeals to me. I'm writing characters that appeal to me, and that means there's gonna be playful mischief, innuendo, and corny jokes.