Long Shot

What do we do with the protagonist ? And sometimes other characters.

I've been told not to discribe my hero in too much detail.
As readers like to fill in the blanks, sometimes in their own image.

I've also been told to get right to it, and give full details at the opening of the story.
As readers want to know what the characters look like.

I prefer to to give just little bits here and there.
In some stories it would be necessary if the protagonist had some
special feature/s.

But is there a proper way, or do we go with our feelings?

Bill

Sam Winchester

Don't give full details at the start of your novel. Giving away too much is a hindrance rather than a help. Besides, you are more than likely going to have your character grow stronger or change over the course of the novel. Another issue is that continuous descriptive prose at the start of a novel can be a turn-off for a reader. Most people like to have something happen. A piece of action, maybe. Give a brief description, i.e. name, basic features, a little background info, and then over the course of the next few chapters, supplement that with a little more background info. In short stories, I don't think background info is entirely necessary, because we're not going to be familiarised with the character for very long.

Hope this helps.

Sam.

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Shawn

Your character's qualities are more important than their physical features.

Use actions to show your character. Very powerful novels or stories have characters with strong qualities. I've never read a powerful novel that was powerful because the character had a strangely shaped birthmark.

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Long Shot

Pretty much the way I see it Sam.
But in one of my stories I was told I didn't do enough.
Go figuer ?

Sam Winchester

What were you told you could improve on? The descriptions, or the qualities of the character? Was the story long or short format? And who was this genius who told you that you hadn't done enough?

Sam.

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Long Shot

On the description of my protagonist. I was on another forum a couple years ago. It was a novel. After posting the first chapter, I got all kinds of advice.
Mostly good stuff, but a couple threads said I could do better on the description.
I didn't go with it.
Just wondering what the folks here thought.

Bill

Jax1108

This is good advice. But it is also harder then it sounds
I have done what Sam says, but it somehow still comes off wrong! Anyway, I am glad you asked this it was a very good question. I think it's something that takes alot of practice.
Can I ask then, -when- is the right time for prose? Cause that is sorta my fav. and most natural to write.

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Sam Winchester

The right time for prose, Jax, is anytime you wish. I'm not saying to not have prose. Action scenes are written in prose. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't have continuous amounts of descriptive prose in the first few chapters. Break it up with dialogue here and there, and also give us something that makes us want to read on.

Sam.

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