There are a lot of things about writing I'm completely unclear about. Despite the fact that I've been writing since I was 6 years old, every time I write a sentence, I feel like I learn something new. Or, I learn something new I need to learn more about. Today, I realized, I have no concept of when a writer should tell their readers what their narrator might look like. Please note, my novel is in 1st person so I can't just hunker down one day and say: "My name is Sally Tutu, I have blonde hair, blue, eyes, and I'm tall." No, I can't do this, because then I sound like that 6 year old girl writing a composition in a marble notebook.
So, I'm about 23,000 words into my novel (roughly 85 pages) and I've only just loosely described (in relation to another character) what my main character looks like. So writers...readers...is this a problem for you? Is this too late? Too early? Inquiring minds want to know.
(BTW, I have no idea who Sally Tutu is. But I'm pretty sure she's the next best thing in the world of serious literature.)
For me, the physical description of a character helps me to imagine her, but it is not necessarily needed in the beginning or at all.. Without being given that information, my mind creates the character as I see it.. I say, if it fits for you as the writer, it'll fit for a reader who "gets" your writing..
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure Sally Tutu is related to Mr. Shookelevy...
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