Subtle Details You Can Add To Your Character's Look (A List)

Here's something I've noticed from years of writing and reading:

One small and perfect detail can help you envision a character's whole appearance. If a character's appearance feels bland, or if you feel like you just can't 'see' them in your mind's eye, adding something as simple as a nose shape or a necklace can suddenly bring it all together. That one detail establishes the basic gist of your character's appearance to the reader, and their mind will then take over and fill in all kinds of fun little details from there. It's incredible! And it only takes one small extra step on your part.

Here's an example of this technique in action. We start off with a very simple description.

He was tall and blond, in jeans and a t-shirt.

Not so interesting, not so memorable. He could use some help. Add a small and unique detail.

He was tall and blond, in jeans and a band t-shirt, with a diamond earring in his right ear.

And there it is!

Granted, I technically added two small details, but I would argue that clarifying what kind of shirt this particular fellow is wearing is not the same as adding a second detail. But it worked, didn't it? Our character went from basic(tall, blond, wearing a super default outfit), to detailed and original in exactly 1(one) step. The addition of the band t-shirt and an earring got your brain going and provided it with the information it needed to imagine all kinds of other details: maybe a certain haircut, maybe some tears in his jeans, maybe some stubble across his face.

Regardless of what you pictured, you pictured something, and it was more detailed than it had been before.

This is my secret technique for writing character descriptions. I use it anytime I feel like the character's appearance just isn't distinctive, or when I just want to really make someone's appearance pop. It's especially good if you have a character who might at a glance seem sort of basic. And you can use it, too!

So without further ado, let's begin the list of small details that you could add to your character's appearance.

• Always in heels because she's short
• Bubble gum
• Rubber bracelets
• Has an unruly mane of hair
• Little braids in hair
• Multiple ear piercings
• Other piercings
• Sunglasses(on top of the head or otherwise)
• A raggedy flannel
• Handkerchief
• Customized shoes
• Something unusual peeking out of a pocket(a notebook, a carpenter's pencil, a sub sandwich, a baby mouse)
• Untied shoelaces
• Cross necklace
• Any necklace
• Mismatch shoes/mismatch socks
• Unusual facial hair
• Close cropped hair
• Unusual haircut
• Bleached hair
• Dyed hair/dip-dyed hair
• Wears pins/buttons
• Decorative patches on clothing
• Wears a certain coat
• Pocket watch
• Cool ring
• Cool hat(beanie, baseball cap, newsboy cap, beret, fedora, flat cap, even a hairnet)
• Wigs
• Freaky skinny
• Interesting nose
• Fancy nails(for a girl)
• Backpack(I personally love the backpack and hat combination)
• Constantly carrying a specific thing around
• Attitude shirt(what a shirt says on it can speak volumes about the wearer)

And that's the list! Any one thing you take away from this list will instantly add tons of detail to a character's appearance, and if you go further and add two little details, that makes the character that much more distinctive! I hope that the tips and ideas I included in this post were helpful to you and helped you create gorgeous and unique characters. I'll see you next week with another post!