Writer's Guide

Character Introduction

Character Introduction

When you introduce a character for the first time it's often helpful to say something memorable about them. Particularly if you want the reader to remember them. See if the following lines inspire you...

She smelled like a French whore.

She had a a heart-shaped face.

He had conventionally attractive facial features.

He had dimples on his cheeks and one on his chin.

I have never known my sister to take grief from anyone.

She is what's gently referred to as a big lady.

He was the kind of person who would say "one of them" a lot. As in "I'm going to get me one of them snow mobiles." or "You should see one of them physical therapists."

On the surface Uncle Peter was a goof, but there was also a strange depth to the man and a means of thinking which did not run straight and true. As well as a vain of darkness that occasionally erupted to the surface.

If I had to guess my great-grandfather's age - I'd have to say somewhere between seventy and infinity. Once people start to wrinkle they all look alike to me.

"I don't like that man." Beth once confided in me. "Every time he enters the room I swear I can smell sulfur. It's like being visited by Beelzebub."

He was the kind of guy who passed gas next to you in school and and then blame you by yelling out "What crawled up inside of you and died?!"

His receding black hair was slicked back, casino pit boss-style.

She was not exactly "fat", but packed solid, like a giant bratwurst.

"Jeannie is a bridge troll."

I'm not usually one to defer my emotions. Anger, joy, passion, hate, love and fear almost always spill out of me in real time.

Her fierce raptor eyes...

Grandpa Kevin had no lips, like a muppet.

He knew a LOT about cars. I, on the other hand, was one of those pansies that went to Jiffy Lube for an oil change.

"That kid is tougher then a Monday stake on a Thursday."

Peter has always had contempt for authority figures.

Uncle Peter was not the most observant person; after the world ended - it took him a couple hours before he noticed.

Her small stature belied her physical strength. She was small and lean, but had a lot of power in her petite frame.

His most arresting feature was his _____.

A lot of grey had crept into my hair since the peak. I was getting old.

She was blond, blue eyed, and possessed attractive Nordic features.

He was a good kid in a constant state of reinvention.

He had a scar that climbed across his cheek to his forehead.

His responsibilities weigh heavily on him and I had no desire to add to that burden.

The twins' personalities are so different, it is hard to believe that they were shot from the same cannon and landed in the same crater.

He's crazy! Beyond Loony Tunes. Loony Tunes was funny. This guy is not funny.

There was something subtly unstable about the woman - as if she were always a heartbeat from an outburst that never quite broke free.

I loved the woman. But the uncharitable truth was that her crooked teeth gave an orthodontists wet dreams.