I also like having at least a general idea of what a character looks like as soon as possible - it just makes it easier to picture them.  I've tried different things for different works.  In the most recent draft of The Brotherhood of the Black Flag, I have the POV character taking a last look around the salle des armes he's been teaching at for over a year and happening to catch his reflection in a full-length mirror.  In Suicide King: A Chronicle of the Four Families, I briefly mention how the POV character's raven-black hair is more neatly groomed than usual in preparation for a ball he's on his way to.  I'm constantly tinkering with the wording to make these details flow naturally into the narrative.

Jay, thanks for your response. To answer your very first quesion, I was not sure that it did matter, but I have had readers mention in a prior story that I did not describe the pov protagonist. I began to wonder if it mattered or not, but I take you point. I suppose I sensed somehow that such a description was indeed clutter, but I didn't put it in the context of taking the narrative out of the intended pov. That observation does put it into a framework that makes total sense.

In the aforementioned previous story, in the end my protagonist reads a letter in which she is described.

@Peter--that's a really brilliant strategy for describing a POV character! I love it!

Thanks for the tip! Definitely gonna use it when I am writing this weekend.

Lucy

Book Country Community and Engagement Manager

I describe POV characters in a variety of ways. In first person, it ranges from them thinking about what they look like in comparison to someone, to someone else mentioning it. For instance, in one of my first person narrative stories, the main character Dustin only talks about what he looks like because someone mentions he looks just like his dad, and being the bratty 18 year old that he is, goes on an inner monologue rant about how untrue it is. It's a vague description, but still a description. Later, we find out he's ridiculously skinny because one of the characters asks him if he ever actually eats anything. 

In third person it's a bit harder. Usually a description is accompanied by an action. So instead of saying, "he ran a hand through his hair," I'd say, "he ran a hand through his thick, tangled mess of a mop on his head." Are they adjectives? Yes. Do I condone adjectives like some of the other authors I've met on this site? No. If they're used right, they can add so much to a story. Another way is for say an insecure girl/guy to examine themselves and make comments on it.

My favorite, though, is when you have multiple point of views in one story. The novel I'm working on now involves switching between Lottie and Epher's point of view. They meet in chapter 4 (technically 2 but only for a second) and from there the other character can describe them. Makes it so much easier. 

Really, there is no RIGHT way to describe your POV character. If it happens to work for your story, then it works for your story. I usually decide it on an individual basis. If it breaks the rules, whoops. Isn't that what writers are supposed to do anyway? If it works, why change it?

~Linnea

The implication of a discussion board is it is open for all. So I will put in my two cents.

I have a questions for all.

Who is your reader? Have you done the necessary research before you typed 'One upon a time' to know who is going to purchase your novel? Have you sufficiently read novels from both the genre, and sub genre of your book? Did you research publishers and read their blogs to see what they are purchasing? Then go and read those stories.

The answers are there.

All roads, all questions begin here. Who is your reader? Who publishes your type of book?

But there's more. If you are writing in the sci fi/fantasy realm, two publishers immediately come to mind. Tor and Baen. They seem similar, but when you drill down to what they're looking for, they have a distinct political POV. For instance, if you are writing a sci fi novel which features a Dystopian society, then your story is either from the POV of the subjected, or the POV of the rulers.

Tor would be the more liberal POV, whereas Baen would be the more conservative voice. Just because they publish similar books doesn't mean they both would publish the same book.

 If you do not know your reader, then how can you meet their expectations? Some readers like heavy description. Others do not.

If you tell me you're writing something to reach the Elmore Leonard market, I would say describing your POV character is pointless. He molded his readers to fit his worldview of writing. His thoughts have been made clear that he leaves out "the stuff people don't read anyway." Like heavy prose. He fashioned a character driven story where the pages have lots of white space.

 However, if you tell me you're trying to reach the type of reader that finds James Clavell brilliant, then you should include something for that reader. A rich tapestry of description.

Also, what is the intent of the novel? Are you reaching a group that is looking for a quick read? The e-book king John Locke comes to mind. Two-hundred pages of mostly dialog. His readers don't want a thick tome loaded with words illuminating the white whale. They're looking for a wham bam story they can polish off and get to The End.

Whereas the fast reader, one who leans more along the lines of literary, are looking for every juicy morsel to thrill their imagination.

There is a wealth of information out there to answer this question. It lies between the covers of novels like yours. But tell a good story, and you can do close to whatever you want on the page

As to how, the interaction between characters for any selected person you are writing in could look like this.

Allison was a waifish woman, her pale skin almost translucent. As if you could see inside of her to where her spirit lived. Fixing my gaze into her wintery blue eyes, I had the feeling she never  looked upon evil before. The type of evil man I was known to be. Thin fingers lifted my fist, and placing her pink palm to my rough palm , she held my hand as she examined it. The size of my mitt engulfed her small dainty hand, as if she were holding an old rusty skillet. One tiny finger traced the scars on my knuckles. Reminders of when I attempted to inflict my will on others.

I felt ashamed and lowered my face, until she touched my chin, lifting it so she could see me.

"I'm surprised you have green eyes, Farrell," her voice but a whisper.

She took my shaggy mane, running fingers through it, combing me back into place.

"As big as you are...I believe the boys in my neighborhood would call you a tough guy. But eyes are where the soul lives. And I see no hardness in them."

Okay, its lame and tossed together. But the POV character is relating what someone is speaking to her/him. It comes out as a set piece around dialog, with the exposition supporting and setting up the conversation.

But I wouldn't put too much in one place. Parse out the description over the first half of the book if you feel your reader needs to know what the character looks like.

Lame as it is, this is my opinion. Sorry for the lecture.

In my book I have here it's first person, and because she looked so different from the rest of her family it was important to point that out for the story. I had the character talk about her looks as she gazed in the mirror. However when I read stories where looks aren't part of the plot I like how it's vague, and I can let my imagination make the character.

As for reading what publishers and agents are looking for before going into a story, that isn't why I write. I write because I have a story to tell and hopefully someone, somewhere will enjoy it. Just going through the query process is enough to let us all know each of those are looking for something different. I would be chasing my tail and never write!

All wonderful comments

@Peter: I used to think about this sort of thing all the time. I would worry that readers would find my writing style to be of a rambling sort. But after a while, I decided to roll with what it was. I naturally have a very descriptive style, and as many here have said, it is really up to personal preference. I know my brother hated the book 'Treasure Island' because of the copious amounts of description, but he tends to like my writing (and he is a very blunt person, so I know he's telling the truth when he says so.) You must find that balance. Over all, just do what feels right to you.

Here's am example of description in my story:

~It was about five minutes before the boy heard Joriff enter the shop and slip on his boots. He deduced that he had exactly two minutes before his caretaker came down there and dragged him up the stairs by the collar of the shirt. Eli was waiting for the day when he would be big enough not to be pushed around by everyone. Already, he had begun to get taller, almost as tall as Joriff, shorter than him only by a few pesky inches. But he was thin. Too thin, he was sure. It was clear to him that he shouldn't be that thin, but there was nothing he could do for the matter. It wasn't as if he could simply ask for more food at meals. The Roriksons were already resentful to him as it was. Being greedy would only make it worse. 

 The one thing about his body that Eli was proud of was his natural athleticism. Though he was thin, he clearly had a layer of hard muscle knotting his back and shoulders, and his belly was tight and firm. He was lean, but strongly so. This was probably due to the countless hours he'd spent swimming in Lake Mortól, as well as the other work he had to do on a regular basis.~ 

--edited by Sabrina Jade Howard on 4/5/2014, 12:47 AM--

Everyone knows his/her own eye color, skin color, hair color, height...but everyone "sees" himself/herself differently, because of the meaning those things have a) in the culture the character lives in and b) because of the character's own unique personality.   If you put the description up front, as if from a mug sheet, then you're telling the reader that the character thinks about appearance a lot.   Maybe that's your character.  But if it's not, there are other ways of getting across just as much as the reader needs.   And what the reader really needs to know is how the character fits in his own milieu.   That's what most people think about...do they get called skinny, fat, tall, short, pretty, handsome, ugly, plain...that forms part of their self-identity.

So put your character among other people.  She walks into a bar; "Hey Red--you ain't been here in awhile. "  You've just told her hair color by the nickname folks in the bar call her, just as they'd call another women "Blondie."   By the comments and behavior of others, the reader will learn if your character is attractive or not.   If the character has friends, what do the friends call him?  Joe, or Shorty?  And if it's Shorty, is it because he's short or because he's seven feet tall.   Which will depend on the culture he comes from.  

 Put your short character in a situation where he's aware of his shortness--he can't see over the crowd, or he has to look up to make eye contact.   Bill stared at the back of the man in front of him.  Over there somewhere, Angie was waiting for him, but he couldn't see her, and he wasn't going to poke this six footer in front of him  and ask if he could spot a girl about so high wearing a green T-shirt and purple shorts.  Or your tall character: For once, Eric didn't mind being so tall: he could see the stage clearly from the back of the room.    Someone could diss either one of them.  "What you doin' here again shrimp?  Didn't you get it?   You don't belong in this gym!  This is for men, not runts."  or "Well, look at this.  Here comes Mount Everest again, looming over us like he thinks he's a prince or something!"   The exact height doesn't matter unless it's plot-significant--tallness or shortness will, because they affect how people interact.   Same with any physical attribute. 

 Now to do that, you need to know (from experience, from listening to people with that attribute) how it affects them, their perception of themselves and others.  What occupations are generally considered to fit with certain physical characteristics (consider Olympic athletes--all fit, all strong--but each sport has its typical physique.)    How do people react to those who don't fit the usual mold (or the presumed mold) for a given task? 

"I'm sorry, Ms Johnson, but we were looking for someone...more...."   Janet could have filled in that embarrassed pause.  They were looking for someone prettier to sit at that big fancy receptionist's desk.  Not someone with a scar down her face.  So far nobody was looking for that.  A face only a mother could love, she'd heard someone say.