Winning Entry on How to Write a Description.

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[ 71] Syndre: What do you see when you look at me?
Tue Jul 25 15:00:13 2000
To: grokle
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Fairly simply there are some hard and fast rules I try to set when undertaking a description for my character.  I begin with a standard set of don'ts and work from there.   

Do Not: 

1) Include anything besides the physical in your description.  There are no thoughts, no ideas, nor cute little cartoon clouds above your character's head which are visible to anyone else.   
2) Include anything in regards to the history or significance of specific items.  No one save you is going to know that the tattoo on your arm with the name Utch in the middle of a heart, is in fact your pet dog's third born pup from her second litter that died in a horrible yaenni attack on your mother's brother's cousin's home village.   
3) Do not tell other people how they think, feel, act, or react in regards to the sight of your character.   
4) Use things which are not obvious within your description.  If you at the beginning of a description inform the public that you are wearing a 'loose fitting habit which gives no clue as to your physical build from neck to knee as it touches nothing save the slight outline of your hip bones' and later inform them that you are 'the most well-endowed woman since Dolly Parton', you are contradicting yourself.    Now, on to the things to include.   

Do: 

1) Begin with an outline.  You are creating a person, and want that person to be well-detailed.  Thus, break the body down into areas and work from there.  A good way is start at the head and work your way down if you are short, or from the feet up if you are large.  If you're right in the middle in size, go with the shorter version and start with the head.   
2) Begin by considering your very general description at creation.  If you are partially-bald, fragile, white-haired, and pleasant-faced these are where you begin.  This means you are not a spry young elf of 26, nor a voluptuous thick haired brunette.  Stick with your general desc.   
3) Now, your body areas are these:
    A) Waist downward.
    B) Waist to neck.
    C) Arms and hands.
    D) Head and face.
    E) Clothing, armor and weapons.
    F) Possessions.   
They don't necessarily have to go in any specific order, but I almost always end with possessions and clothing.  Yes, they are the first you see, but they are accessories to _you_, they do not define you.  Define yourself first, then use the clothing and possessions to enhance this.
4) In the face consider one thing above all others, the eyes.  It's an old Hemingway trick that he used in almost every short-story and novel he wrote. He nailed the eyes in under two sentences and 50 words.  Your eyes go further to define you than any other facial feature.  Follow this with the lips and brow as their position can define normal emotional states.  The nose and ears should be next to last as they are mainly base but are accessories nonetheless.  Finalize the head with the hair.  It is second to the eyes in importance on the head, thus you finish with it as it leaves a strong impression.   

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