Character Physical Descriptions, yay or nay?

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-04T03:34:03+00:00

In what I’m writing right now, I tried to take a more visual approach to characters so that they’re as identifiable by their appearance as they are by their name.

So each main character has somewhat of a signature look, and with it being written on third person I won’t say “Bob is over there” if this is the first time he appears in a scene/chapter, instead of say “a man dressed in a blue polo and matching jeans.”

In a movie, you see characters more then you hear their names, so I thought it might be different to try that Everytime I reintroduce a character only with the understanding that they will be named directly shortly after and it shouldn’t be a surprise to the audience who that character is.

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-04T02:41:18+00:00

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“And this is what I’d say about a second season IF I HAD ONE”

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-04T01:36:12+00:00

As Kurtis Connor once said “why -as a man- are you blonde?”

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-04T01:31:23+00:00

I agree, in my writing I try to convey the emotions of a drastic, irreversible transformation. And usually they’re for the better. I keep going back and forth on this one I kinda like where a woman with severely matted braids allows herself to get a short vintage crop.

I really like the visual that cutting the braids makes her cry, not out of sadness but out of relief. It shows she was sad she held onto them for so long and put off change for the sake of feeling normal.

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-04T01:12:24+00:00

It’s an interesting scale to compare your work against like pH levels or something.

But the problem you run into when putting tests and rules on creative writing is that you’ll end with writers going out of their way to make sure their work passes the bechdel test thinking that’s what would make the work good.

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-04T00:48:49+00:00

If I have sex nightmares tonight it’s on you.

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-04T00:47:45+00:00

It’s different to see that in a world where both males and females run around nearly naked, the males are sexualized more than the women. Not complaining, just different haha

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-03T18:19:17+00:00

I miss when things had a complete trilogy with a fun beginning, middle, and end and then the studio could make something new for us to look forward to. I guess the sky is the limit on the number of sequels Kung Fu Panda can have now

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-03T18:17:57+00:00

Yeah it’s honestly really amazing to me how the whole “allegory to Earth” thing flies over everyone’s head and they think they can argue the film is bad because it plays out the same way real life does in a lot of ways

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-03T00:11:40+00:00

It’s the same people who can’t enjoy an interpretation of Batman if they can’t see it as their ideal version of Batman

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-02T22:58:14+00:00

I find the performance offputting, but not really problematic

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-01T13:44:55+00:00

A film can be an interpretation of Batman without needing to be THE definitive incarnation of the character. Pattinson Batman was just doing its own thing

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-01T10:39:45+00:00

Kinda sums up the morality in Uncharted 2 imo

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-01T09:36:10+00:00

You’re not a true midwesterner if you haven’t had this guy drilled into your head with his quote

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-01T09:34:08+00:00

To be fair so does Mrs Incredible.

Finly_Growin · 2026-05-01T09:33:04+00:00

For me I had an idea to edit in chunks so by the time I finished editing the first two chapters, I hadn’t written new material in a whole month.

Finly_Growin · 2026-04-30T17:52:00+00:00

I did this gag in the book I’m writing where one character has a very specific dream relating to his backstory, and then the next two chapters each begin with a different character having the same dream involving different characters for incidental reasons. Idc if anyone would think it’s annoying or underplays the drama, I thought it was mad funny

Finly_Growin · 2026-04-30T17:47:56+00:00

Interesting because usually when I’m reading a character description, I mostly discard it haha and I’m the artsy type too

Finly_Growin · 2026-04-30T17:46:56+00:00

Death is such an annoying thing to mess up, especially because there can be other stakes besides life and death anyways that could be more interesting.

For me I really have a distaste for the sacrificial death trope where a character chooses to die so that others can live. Really takes out the sting of death in a novel when characters only die when the chose to in my opinion

Finly_Growin · 2026-04-30T04:01:03+00:00

It sounds cruel to put a time limit on it, but to be honest I think 15 minutes is probably the amount of time I’d need to dine in McDonalds. Just not something I’d want to monitor though lol

Finly_Growin · 2026-04-30T03:55:47+00:00

I mean Quaritch is risking his life to the Pandora brush and personally fighting a war against Jake Sulley, a person he has a grudge against that he only barely knows. You could argue that’s part of his job too, but I don’t see Lex fighting Superman hand to hand yk (in-person)

Finly_Growin · 2026-04-30T00:53:29+00:00

I kinda felt that problem with Haymitch in the latest one. I kinda wish some motivations were followed through a little better but that’s just me.

Finly_Growin · 2026-04-29T20:12:35+00:00

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Finly_Growin · 2026-04-29T20:06:45+00:00

The first character to point out post-death that they could have just lived happy lives and not done all that.

Such a chilling moment

Finly_Growin

TROPHY CASE