Appearance Isn't Everything

One of the reasons that Radio Four's long-running soap The Archers is so popular is that the faceless inhabitants of Ambridge take on a vivid and distinct reality within the listener's head.  I really don't want to know what the actress playing Caroline looks like, because I have such a clear image of her already.

The same applies to fiction. I hate it when I'm reading a novel and halfway through the writer makes casual reference to the heroine's dark hair when for 200 pages or so she has been immutably fixed in my imagination as a redhead. It completely destroys the illusion I have been working so hard to create for myself, but it can provide a small lesson for the writer...

When it you are describing a character (n.b. don't ever have them looking at their own reflection in a mirror, it is the oldest cliche in the book), try to avoid saying she had dark curly hair and brown eyes, search instead for something less literal.  Think of it in terms of attempting to bring to life her personality by describing how she looks, rather than just going for appearance for appearance's sake. Describe her bearing, her mannerisms, how she speaks, the texture of her skin, how the light catches her (you can use setting to great effect for this). By approaching the task in a lateral and slightly elusive manner, you leave plenty of scope for the reader to colour in the picture for themselves.  In that way, they invest in your narrative and take possession of it.  If you hand everything to them on a plate, they will stay passive, like passengers along for the ride, whereas you want them to be active participants in the story you are trying to tell.

I saw this pretty fountain on my recent trip to Burgundy.  You might like to try describing the woman's face applying the techniques above.  See if you can bring out her qualities rather than how she looks and this will lead you to the essence of who she is....