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less is more?

less is more?
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Group Manager
I describe my characters very carefully, but sometimes go into too much detail! I once went on for a couple of large notebook pages describing my character Katianna! I love characters and detailed descriptions, they're probably my favourite part of writing! What do you think? is less more or is detail good?
angel-of-darkness
You definitely don't want do ALL the work for the reader. A good character has enough simplicity that it can be viewed from many different angles, and for many generations. That said, I think there should be enough descriptive detail to feel a visceral connection to the character. Maybe you can treat yourself to detailing every angle of your character. It can be really fun, but slim them down for your readers. Think of it as dating. You want to know a lot about a new interest, but not everything, or they lose that mystery. Hope that is helpful.
Group Manager
@alioz that's really helpful! thanks for commenting!
I agree with Alioz, however I often detail my characters ahead of time. Not necessarily for the reader but for myself. Staying true to a characters personality is pretty important stuff.

If you have a good character description set aside for yourself you can refer to it when your looking to add those descriptive tid bits to the story.

Eye color, skin pigmentation, emotional state, opinions on a topic of interest all have the opportunity to make a rather blah sentence more appealing.

I also add to the character description as I write new aspects of a character within the story. It helps you to not to contradict yourself. There is nothing like saying a character is a tom boy who hates pink, then five chapters later sending her out to the mall, where she ends up buying a pink chiffon dress.

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