I seem to be obsessed with faces, especially eyes -- their shape, size, color, where they're looking during conversations, the effects they have on other characters. It's not just in my writing. I'm obsessed with faces in real life, too, and I've noticed that most people have very inexpressive faces. But there are whole sections of our brains dedicated exclusively to the processing of the human face, and I've been out of the US and it seems to be a cultural phenomenon peculiar to the US that people have such inexpressive faces. Anyway, I was wondering how you dealt with faces in your writing. Recently I watched a Woody Allen movie called Love and Death that was a parody of Russian literature, and he made fun of almost any literary convention you can think of (there was one scene where the actors were acting out internal monologues in front of each other like a pair of plotting paranoids that I'm still laughing about), but especially facial expressions. I've read a couple Russian novels, and they were very psychological and minutely controlled, which is something I aspire to in my writing, so I thought the movie's treatment of faces was funny. How do you treat faces?
Faces
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Well, my other job is working as a portrait photographer, so i look at faces a lot. 
but... I don't work too much description of faces into my writing. Don't know why.
I like man faces to come with beards, and dimples in the chin, and woman faces to have freckles and maybe a nose that wrinkles when she laughs.
but... I don't work too much description of faces into my writing. Don't know why.I like man faces to come with beards, and dimples in the chin, and woman faces to have freckles and maybe a nose that wrinkles when she laughs.
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Description? Find the largest eye opener, like a big nose and tell the reader about it. If the face is somewhat descriptive, like a very fat face, or round, or long, tell the reader.
But high details would need a place in the story. Like, I would detail the deep-set eyes of a northerner in my WIP, to set that image of northerner people.
You don't need a lot of description. Readers will get tired if you start to describe finer points. Just tell them what sticks out--most likely, they will forget it.
Faces show good emotion. However, you don't use the face itself to show emotion.
You smile. You frown. You flush. You blush.
Parts of the face can show emotion, but need to be detailed without a easier description. Like "Her lips rose to smile" which could be shortened to "she smiled." However, "Her eyebrow rose" would be different.
To many expressions/details can wear on a reader. Like in a conversation, and the characters are smiling/frowning/flushing like they are having a seizure--you might want to lessen it.
Read a good book, some award winner, and copy down what they have the character's faces do. Organize this and keep it near you. When you want to show emotion or something, steal one off the paper.
But high details would need a place in the story. Like, I would detail the deep-set eyes of a northerner in my WIP, to set that image of northerner people.
You don't need a lot of description. Readers will get tired if you start to describe finer points. Just tell them what sticks out--most likely, they will forget it.
Faces show good emotion. However, you don't use the face itself to show emotion.
You smile. You frown. You flush. You blush.
Parts of the face can show emotion, but need to be detailed without a easier description. Like "Her lips rose to smile" which could be shortened to "she smiled." However, "Her eyebrow rose" would be different.
To many expressions/details can wear on a reader. Like in a conversation, and the characters are smiling/frowning/flushing like they are having a seizure--you might want to lessen it.
Read a good book, some award winner, and copy down what they have the character's faces do. Organize this and keep it near you. When you want to show emotion or something, steal one off the paper.
What is the point of the facial description? Back in the 19th and early 20th century it was a common matter to use physical description of a character as a major indicator of the character's virtue. Handsome, beautiful characters obviously were good, ugly characters obviously were bad.
So what are you trying to accomplish by focusing on facial appearance? Handsome? Think Ted Bundy. Ugly? Think Mohandas Gandhi. Yeah, facial description will characterize those two really well.
As a reader, I generally hate much extended physical description, unless it has an actual connection to story elements. I don't otherwise give a rat's what color your character's hair or eyes are, how tall he or she is, whether or not there's a dimple in the chin, or the cheeks. I'm way more interested in what they do.
caw
So what are you trying to accomplish by focusing on facial appearance? Handsome? Think Ted Bundy. Ugly? Think Mohandas Gandhi. Yeah, facial description will characterize those two really well.
As a reader, I generally hate much extended physical description, unless it has an actual connection to story elements. I don't otherwise give a rat's what color your character's hair or eyes are, how tall he or she is, whether or not there's a dimple in the chin, or the cheeks. I'm way more interested in what they do.
caw
I hardly even describe faces. I only do it when I'm remarking on some character attribute that is reflected in the pace. For example, I have a character who looks a little intimidating at first, but his face betrays a gentle nature. Most of the time, though, I don't give much physical description, such as hair color and occasionally eye color. A few details are necessary to ground the reader.
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It depends on what I'm in the mood for. If I feel like going into detail about a characters face, then so be it. If not, then I give some general descriptions pertaining to the face. It's usually the latter because it allows the readers mind to envision the character as they please. Of course I provide enough details to give an indication of their aura or whatever, but not enough to the point where I ruin their fantasy (if you catch my drift).
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I'd like to see an example of what you think is too much or what you have written.
Maybe think it terms of someone saying, "I'm so happy!" and if they went in to detail about it- "My mouth is turned up in a smile, my heart is racing with excitement, I feel like I want to hop up and down and clap my hands... blah blah blah". The latter is overkill, obv.
Maybe think it terms of someone saying, "I'm so happy!" and if they went in to detail about it- "My mouth is turned up in a smile, my heart is racing with excitement, I feel like I want to hop up and down and clap my hands... blah blah blah". The latter is overkill, obv.
A huge problem for new and developing writers is they spend so much time on faces and facial expressions, their writing becomes little more than scenes of talking, twitching heads. It's by far easiest to convey emotional reactions through facial expressions, but that can lead to stale, uninteresting, even static writing. And all of those facial movements become humorous after a while, like all of the characters suffer from some facial neuromuscular disorder.
Here's an exercise to try. Count all the times you have a facial reference as a character reaction. Then, count all the times you have body actions/movements as a character reactions. Now imagine a portrait of your character in which the proportions of the head and body are accurately reflected in the size of those structures. If you have a giant head on the tiny body, your writing is likely just as out-of-balance, and possibly as humorous as that caricature.
For description, do the same.
Here's an exercise to try. Count all the times you have a facial reference as a character reaction. Then, count all the times you have body actions/movements as a character reactions. Now imagine a portrait of your character in which the proportions of the head and body are accurately reflected in the size of those structures. If you have a giant head on the tiny body, your writing is likely just as out-of-balance, and possibly as humorous as that caricature.
For description, do the same.
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Obsessed with faces, huh?
I don't think I've ever described a face in writing, and I don't recall a lot of facial description in books I read. Maybe a bit of description if the character has an unusal look, but nothing overwhelming.
I don't think I've ever described a face in writing, and I don't recall a lot of facial description in books I read. Maybe a bit of description if the character has an unusal look, but nothing overwhelming.
Well, my other job is working as a portrait photographer, so i look at faces a lot.
I like man faces to come with beards, and dimples in the chin, and woman faces to have freckles and maybe a nose that wrinkles when she laughs.
I never thought about how being a photographer could really make you sensitive to faces and facial expressions as a writer. That might be a great how-to book. Something I would be interested in reading.
Isn't this just a rehashing of this recent thread to which you also contributed?
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=251317
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=251317
Well, my other job is working as a portrait photographer, so i look at faces a lot.
I like man faces to come with beards, and dimples in the chin, and woman faces to have freckles and maybe a nose that wrinkles when she laughs.
That's interesting, Vanessa. Maybe you just can't think about faces when you're off the clock because you spend all day looking at them lol.
That's an interesting piece of advice. I'm not writing escapist literature though; inertia is a part of life, and there are lots of books that don't ignore that fact. I'm reading a book right now in fact that won the Man Booker Prize just over a decade ago and the author uses a ton of description. Just yesterday I read a paragraph that took up 3/4 of the page describing an old man's jowls and belly, and I enjoyed the description. How do you treat faces?
If they are important/necessary to the scene, I describe them just enough to get the important points across without destroying the pace and flow of the scene. Adding description is always like a juggling act for me, and sometimes I only have one thing in the air, other times all kinds of things. But they all have to fit in with pace, tone, flow, balance of descriptors (not overdoing any), action (see pace), and above all, the description must be interesting to the Reader (a very subjective evaluation here). All of this leads to the author developing his/her voice. My personal view is voice is not set in stone. It is subject to the same learning as any other part of the writing equation. If I learn something doesn't work for readers, I'll will look for a way to make changes that adjust it while keeping to my personal views on how my writing should stay "mine." I won't just plant my heels and declare that this my writing voice so STFU. My voice has evolved in that way, but it remains mine.
I tend not to look at faces in real life. When I focus on my husband and look him in the eyes while he's talking, it weirds him out. My mother swears he chews with his mouth open, and even though I've been intending on figuring out if she's right for *years*, I still don't know if he actually does.
Unsurprisingly, my writing suffers as a result.
Unsurprisingly, my writing suffers as a result.
That is strange.
I don't 'stare' at folk's faces but one can hardly not spot features even with glances.
Looking someone in the eyes when they are speaking to you is the most natural thing in the world.
If I was talking to someone or they were talking to me I would expect eye-contact. To avoid eye-contact can convey the wrong impression.
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I don't 'stare' at folk's faces but one can hardly not spot features even with glances.
Looking someone in the eyes when they are speaking to you is the most natural thing in the world.
If I was talking to someone or they were talking to me I would expect eye-contact. To avoid eye-contact can convey the wrong impression.
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There are really only two reasons to describe a face itself: There's something remarkable about it (for example: the character has a large scar or enormous eyes) or it's particularly indicative of the person (for example: stern, heavy eyebrows).
Otherwise, it's the expression in the face that matters. You don't have to describe the mouth to say that the person is frowning.
But keep in mind that you don't have to say the person is frowning to get across that he/she is unhappy. Body language--other than facial expressions--is hugely expressive.
Otherwise, it's the expression in the face that matters. You don't have to describe the mouth to say that the person is frowning.
But keep in mind that you don't have to say the person is frowning to get across that he/she is unhappy. Body language--other than facial expressions--is hugely expressive.
if you are too descriptive of your characters the reader feels underemployed.
Elmore Leonard warns against being too descriptive of your characters. He points out that Hemingway gives no description of his characters in 'Hills like White Elephants', yet you know a lot about them purely from what they say to each other.
Elmore Leonard warns against being too descriptive of your characters. He points out that Hemingway gives no description of his characters in 'Hills like White Elephants', yet you know a lot about them purely from what they say to each other.
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I usually don't describe them in detail, unless there's something unusual. I used to have a company commander where whenever he smiled, the upper part of his faced seemed frozen, like a mask. Creepy. But eye color, size of nose, etc. -- I rarely do that.
But I do work body language. Not just the face, but lips, hands, legs, whatever I happen to need to convey the character's emotion.
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