Writing: Ways to Describe People
Struggling to make your characters feel vivid and real on the page? Whether you're writing a novel, short story, or screenplay, nailing down how to describe people in a way that shows rather than tells can elevate your work and pull readers deeper into your world. Below is my personal list of ways to describe people beyond the basics of hair and eye color. Use for your own writing and ideas!
Physical Appearance
Don't just list features, but use metaphor, action, and context to reveal character.
Facial Features: angular jaw, crooked teeth, dimples that appear when lying, a nose broken too many times
Eyes: bloodshot, darting, unreadable, “eyes like stormclouds,” “lashes thick enough to sweep secrets”
Body Type: gangly, hunched, barrel-chested, wiry, with movements like a coiled spring
Hands: calloused palms, bitten nails, trembling fingers, long fingers like spider legs
Gait: loping, limping, dragging, strutting, drifting like they don’t belong to gravity
Voice: gravelly, lilting, monotone, sharp as broken glass, warm like sun-drenched stone
Personality Through Behavior
Show who they are by what they do, not what you tell the reader.
Nervous habits: tapping fingers, chewing inside cheek, avoiding eye contact
Confident gestures: steady gaze, relaxed shoulders, occupying more space than needed
Deceptive tells: saying one thing while checking exits, smiling without the eyes
Empathetic traits: soft laughter at others’ jokes, remembering small details about someone’s life
Aggressive signals: clenched fists, leaning too close, always interrupting
What Others Say About Them
Let other characters (or narrative voice) reveal insights indirectly.
“He always shows up late but somehow still gets invited.”
“She’s the type to lend a hand and never mention it again.”
“No one really knows what he did before he moved here.”
Clothes and Style
Fashion choices say a lot about priorities, identity, and mood.
Wears all black but smells like gardenias
Shoes scuffed from miles walked, soles duct-taped
Wrinkled shirts, one sleeve always rolled
Designer clothes, but tags still attached
A pinched collar, like it was buttoned by someone else
Setting-Based Description
How the world reacts to them, or how they move through it.
People stop talking when she enters a room
He ducked through the doorway, not built for modern architecture
The crowd parted like water around her
He melted into shadows like he belonged there
Internal Contrast
Use juxtaposition to make people memorable.
A brutal smile with kind eyes
Broad shoulders, but hunched with shame
A gentle voice delivering brutal truths
Youthful face, eyes like old winter
Quick Exercises to Try
Describe a character in five senses, but avoid using “looks like.”
Show personality through what they carry in their pockets.
Write a description using only dialogue from others.
Don’t overload your first introduction with every detail. Instead, layer in your descriptions as the story unfolds. A reader doesn't need to know everything about a person at once, they just need a hook, a spark of intrigue, something specific that makes the character stick.
