Post by account_disabled on Dec 19, 2023 22:30:01 GMT -5
MirrorI stopped describing my characters a while ago , I don't know if out of narrative laziness or if it was a sort of transition to a higher step or if I unconsciously aimed for more sober writing. In any case I don't talk about their physical characteristics unless strictly necessary, that is, if the story requires a description of them. It is useless, in my opinion, to write that such a lawyer is dressed in a suit and tie while he is going to the office, because we all know that this is the case. As Björn Larsson pointed out during his conference in Rome, a writer cannot claim that his protagonist is beautiful, that his protagonist has a beautiful face, etc.
They are subjective judgements, just as Special Data beauty is subjective. The writer's job is to present a character, not to describe him. And presenting him means making him act in his story. Dressing it up is also the writer's job, but only when the story involves that description. It doesn't matter to the reader whether a character is beautiful or ugly, unless he is deformed and his deformity plays a part in the story. It doesn't matter that he is a handsome man, unless the supporting characters support it. The judgment of the supporting characters must therefore be imposed on the writer's judgment. They will be the ones to describe, through dialogues, thoughts and actions, the external and internal appearance of another character.
The result is a more realistic story, which does not serve the environment to the reader in a single scope, but accompanies the reader as if inside a film, offering him genuine images of the characters and scenes. Describe protagonists and characters or not? Just as I once dwelt on descriptions of clothes and body types, now I leave it up to the reader's imagination to visualize in his mind what a character is like. I limit myself to the bare minimum, to that opening note that allows the reader to play the entire story for themselves. And how do you behave? Do you describe your characters or not?
They are subjective judgements, just as Special Data beauty is subjective. The writer's job is to present a character, not to describe him. And presenting him means making him act in his story. Dressing it up is also the writer's job, but only when the story involves that description. It doesn't matter to the reader whether a character is beautiful or ugly, unless he is deformed and his deformity plays a part in the story. It doesn't matter that he is a handsome man, unless the supporting characters support it. The judgment of the supporting characters must therefore be imposed on the writer's judgment. They will be the ones to describe, through dialogues, thoughts and actions, the external and internal appearance of another character.
The result is a more realistic story, which does not serve the environment to the reader in a single scope, but accompanies the reader as if inside a film, offering him genuine images of the characters and scenes. Describe protagonists and characters or not? Just as I once dwelt on descriptions of clothes and body types, now I leave it up to the reader's imagination to visualize in his mind what a character is like. I limit myself to the bare minimum, to that opening note that allows the reader to play the entire story for themselves. And how do you behave? Do you describe your characters or not?