Last time I began a discussion of description by talking about setting. I made the observation that the approach I think works best can be summed up as ‘less is more’. This is predominantly because the volume of visual media at our fingertips means we need far less help visualizing even exotic settings. Description can instead focus more on the details that lie beyond the eye. The same ‘less is more’ can be said for character descriptions, but for a different reason.

One of the stereotypical marks of many newer authors is the need to describe everything. A favorite technique is to have the protagonist look at themselves in a mirror or a pool of water or some other reflective surface very early on in order to tell the reader they’re appearance.

Does it really matter what the character looks like?

I don’t generally like to criticize other writers because I know what a challenging and personal task writing can be. But I’m going to pick on Robert Jordan a little bit because I like him enough to feel that a bit of criticism is okay. He is a great author and I thoroughly enjoyed his “Wheel of Time” series. I’d recommend them to anyone who likes high fantasy. Okay, those compliments aside, I do have issues with his character description. The amount of detail he provides of hair and face and clothing for every single person we meet, and we meet quite a few, can get excessive for my tastes. I eventually found myself skipping over them. With such a large cast, it wasn’t like I was going to remember the visuals for his minor characters anyway.

And that brings me to my main point. Physical description of characters are generally unimportant.

Some visual cues do matter. High Lord Tyrnis, in “Tears from Iron” is missing an eye. This is significant because it serves as a visual manifestation of his inherent resistance to sorcery. Another Syraestari wounded in the same way might have had their eye saved, but healing magic won’t work on Tyrnis. As another example, Yrpel is noted as a giant of a man. This, along with his bull-headed obstinacy, defines how others view him and interact with him. If he were of below-average height, his presence would be felt differently.

But beyond important cues that define character, personality, theme, or some other important aspect of story, does it matter?

I never describe Vistus.

He is the hero of my story, but the only visual fact stated about him is that he doesn’t have a beard. But this is true about all t’Okaedrin. It is something that sets them apart in the chaos of the Cataclysm. As the only humans with iron metallurgy, they likewise are the only ones with the capacity to achieve a close shave. But that’s all I describe. I never tell you his hair style or its color. I don’t give the color of his eyes, either, or the shape of his face. You don’t know if he is tall or short, lanky or broad shouldered.

But if you’ve read “Tears from Iron”, I bet you know what he looks like. That’s because you, the reader, drew him in your mind. I’ve talked to several readers of my book and asked them what he looks like. I’ve pointed out that I never describe him and every one of them has been surprised at this revelation. To tell the truth, I didn’t take this approach knowingly. It was only after the book was published that I’d realized what I’d done. I was pleased.

We create our own imagery when we read. It happens almost immediately. I have my own image of what Vistus looks like, but I’m not going to tell you because it doesn’t matter. You have your own image already and what you see is more important.