The physical description of a character is extremely important in feeling connected to them. Especially the face of a character. The face of a character will help bring them to feel realistic to readers, especially if you’re introducing them for the first time. A character's face can also reveal emotions and feelings and help set the mood of a scene without relying on dialogue. Though the face is important, it can be upsetting to describe a character's facial expressions. Here are 10 tips for easily describing facial expressions:
Include Individual Facial Features
Make sure to differentiate characters with distinguishing facial features. For readers, it can be confusing if all the characters look alike, this also isn't very realistic. In order to have a memorable book, your characters should be distinct and have individual facial features. For example, you may give one character a nose piercing and another a large dimple. While planning out your story, consider the physical appearance of each character and ensure they are unique. Listed below are some distinctive facial features:
Orthodontia
Large Dimples
Glasses
Acne
Heavy Makeup
Freckles
Piercings
Sunburn
Food Stuck in Teeth
Birthmarks
Incorporate Flaws
One of the most important things to remember when describing the face of a character is: don't make them perfect. As a writer, you want your characters to be believable and feel authentic to readers. This won't happen if your characters are written as being physically perfect. Instead, when writing the physical appearance of a character's face incorporate physical flaws. These flaws can be as small as a piece of spinach in their teeth or as major as a large birthmark. Also, characters with physical flaws/blemishes let readers feel represented and allow readers to relate to them. Giving your characters flaws helps them feel realistic and also identifiable to readers.
Don't Forget Eyes
As you describe facial features, remember that our eyes are the windows to our souls. We use our eyes to convey emotion, which will be helpful when you are writing. You can efficiently depict a character's emotions through their eyes. For example, if a character has tears welled in their eyes this suggests to the readers they're sad. Another example is if a character has narrowed eyes. Narrowed eyes suggest that a character is determined. Give eyes their own movements to tap into a character’s feelings. Also, remember to explain a character's eyes because their eyes will create a connection with the reader. As humans, when we receive eye contact we feel connected to a person, which is true in writing. If you narrate the eyes of a character, readers will feel more engaged and connected to your story. Think about the entire structure of a character's eye from the eyelids to the eyelashes.
Consider Hairstyle
Although you may focus on the actual face of a character, you shouldn't forget their hair! The hairstyle of a character is a great way to portray their personality and provide information for readers. For example, if a character wears pigtails it suggests they are young. Or if a character has dyed hair, this suggests they are fun and eccentric. It is important to describe the color, length, and style of a character's hair in order for readers to visualize them and understand more about their personality.
Show Emotion Through the Face
Whether it is a furrowed brow or a chewed lip, you should depict emotion through a character's face. Rather than telling the reader a character's feelings, show their emotions through their face. For example, maybe a character has a nervous tic where they bit their lips. Perhaps a character always grins when they are angry. As you write, make sure to describe the character's faces when explaining emotion. Instead of dialogue, you can use a character’s expressions and face to indicate their true feelings about something.
Use Actions + Gestures
Connecting to the above point, consider using actions and gestures to describe a person's face. Rather than interrupting a scene to inject information about a character's appearance, utilize action. For example, if a character is brushing their teeth, you can describe the way their face looks in the mirror. Using action to describe facial expressions shows readers that the characters’ faces are real and aren't plastic or static. Illustrating through gestures shows how their face will alter with time according to their emotions, actions, and behaviors.
Avoid Using Clichés
Avoiding clichés can be difficult. Clichés are tropes or expressions that have lost their originality due to overuse. When you write it is important that you don't bulge your novel with clichés, because clichés demonstrate a lack of creativity or original thought. There are many writing clichés regarding faces, including "white as snow," and "chocolate skin," but it is best to avoid these. You’ll look like a better writer if you avoid relying on clichés and similes. Also, though clichés are common they may not translate to other languages, which can create language barriers for international readers.
Include Bias/Opinion
If you are writing in the first or third person, you may want to consider the biases and judgments your narrator has. Showcasing the biases your narrator has about their appearance and face, not only describes a character but gives readers insight into the narrator. If you insert the opinions of the narrator, readers can learn how the narrator views other people or (possibly) how they view themself. Think about the features they like or the features they are insecure about. When writing the apparence of a character, make sure to inject the narrator's biased opinions and judgments.
Don't Stereotype
The most important tip to keep in mind when describing a character's face is not to stereotype! As you write about a character's face, be very careful that you aren’t stereotyping or being offensive in any way. If you use explicit language to describe faces, you may offend readers and drive them away from your story. It is essential to remember not to use food to describe skin color and ask questions when you are unsure of something. While you write, have care when mentioning the facial features of a particular race.
Research
A good way to accurately describe the face is to conduct research. If you spend time with other people, you can watch their faces to see how they react to situations and see the expressions they make. Spending some time in a park or searching for faces on the internet are both good ways to gain some inspiration and understand more about faces.
Describing the face of your characters is super important for readers to understand and visualize them. The face of a character should depict emotion, describe their eyes, and be distinctive. Although, it can be difficult to explain the facial expressions of your characters, utilizing these 5 tips will ensure readers get to know your characters. For tips on how to describe the clothing of a character, click on the button below: