Character sketches.

[kerrig]

I have a question concerning character sketches. In the sample interviews for characters that I have seen, they mention describing the eyes, nose, mouth, face, etc. I am having trouble doing this. I can't find the words that I need.
Can anyone help? Are there any books that specialize in this?

[Tarin]

Ultimately, describing facial characteristics is a very minor problem. You don't need to go into great detail, because most readers won't be able to retain and picture all the info anyway. What is important is giving them one or two vivid details so that they can imagine the character around those details.

Maybe just to help jog some ideas, here's some samples from WIP's character sketches:

Chris has a strong, square-shaped head, strong jaw, square chin, broad forehead, strong, almost prominent nose.

His eyes are a light brown - like the last of a Coke held up to the light. His eyes are strong, flashing - made more prominent by his thick, dark eyebrows. He has a tendency to knit his brows in a way that makes him look almost fierce.

His nose is a strong - almost predominate feature. He got in a schoolyard fight as a junior in high school and got his nose broken. It never healed quite right; it’s still a little crooked.

His mouth is not extraordinary. A little on the wide side, with a tendency to wrinkle at either corner when he smiles. His smile is a bit incredulous - but entirely honest. When he smiles he has a way of looking surprised about it.

His hair is dark brown shot through with a heavy undercurrent of chestnut. When he’s out in the sun, he looks almost auburn. His eyebrows are dark brown, but his facial and body hair is glinty read when the light hits it right. He keeps his hair a little on the shaggy side, just long enough that it curls a little at the edges when he wears a hat. He doesn’t really part it; it just sort of flops in a crooked part down the center of his head.

His skin is tanned from all his time outdoors, but he’s not what you would call dark.