17. She Had Brown Hair

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"I put on my black eyeliner and mascara and did a black smokey eye. I put on a black leather jacket over my black and navy blue shirt. After putting on my black skinny jeans and lacing up my black boots, I headed out. What can I say? I really love hot topic."

Why are some character descriptions so dull? Just because your character is reclusive, doesn't mean they have to wear all black all the time. The emo kid trope isn't interesting.

Besides, why are all of these descriptions about what they're wearing? Sure, it's nice to know that your character has blonde hair, but wouldn't it make more sense to hint at their relationships and characteristics?

I'd rather you go on for pages about how someone seems to have an aura of intelligence or a lack of empathy at first glance rather than "omg they were so hot and had a Lolita dress on :3."

Giving your characters well rounded descriptions not only gives your readers more imaginative freedom, but also makes them more dedicated. For example, which character would you want a story about:

"She was pacing around the room with concern littered throughout her appearance. I hadn't the faintest clue what whirlwinds were going through her mind. Just that her usually collected and pointed manner were thrown out the window. The hands that were once calloused after her beloved practice of woodworking, were now anxiously kneading against one another. I could only describe her as a candle lit flame that was deathly afraid of burning out."

Or this.

"Her long burnet hair bounced as she walked around. Her white shirt wasn't tucked in and she was only wearing socks. I still didn't know her name, just that she did a lot of wood carving. She looked scared."

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301 words

"Have you guys seen horrid character descriptions before? Please do tell. Also, do you guys think this is a real problem, or do you like these (in my pure subjective opinion) bland descriptions?"

- Coffee

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