CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Hey, I'm starting work back on a story that I've been working on for quite a while, and well...it needs work. And more help than I can give to it, lol. So, I need pointers, mainly on how to get the introduction started and how to flesh out my characters. I've never been good at describing them.

Every writer has a problem with beginnings. The best thing you can do is write them to the best of your ability and keep going. The story I picked for NaNo this year wasn't developed at all except for a few vague plot points, but now it's grown into something that's significantly bigger than what it was. I find that characters often write themselves for the most part.

As for describing them physically, I usually start off with them waking up in the morning and looking in a mirror or river or something as they get ready. Other times, I'll just say "this color hair and this color eyes with these clothes" or have them do something with those things (i.e. running their fingers through their hair, fixing a piece of their clothing, staring at something, etc.) and that usually makes the description seem less bad.

Fleshing them out does take some more work, though. I think the best thing you can do is stick them in different situations with different kinds of characters and see how they react. I find that a character who's kind of opposite but kind of the same as the main character helps to develop both. Just start writing and see what happens. You can go back and change things later.

Here's a pretty good tip I learned; Start in the middle of action. This is especially important for short stories. Most of the time you won't snag the reader's attention if you begin with three paragraphs of exposition about what brand of socks your character wears or whatever. It's best if the character is engaged in some activity or important conversation right from the start and you can fill in the back story later as you go.

Character (visual) descriptions seem best when woven in somehow, whether through the eyes of another character or mentioned bit by bit in the narrative.
Some readers don't care a hoot what characters look like. Some want everything described down to the last freckle. A happy medium is best, I suppose.

Character personalities are harder. If you're rally having trouble, you can make detailed trait lists:
Personality?--Shy? Vain? Insecure? Arrogant?
How do they talk?--Formal Casual? Slang? Accent?
How do they think?--Society? Class? Politic?
What quirks do they have?--Fidget? Tap foot? Clear throat? OCD?
etc...
You can interview your character. How would they answer any questions you ask them?

As for describing them physically, I usually start off with them waking up in the morning and looking in a mirror or river or something as they get ready.

No. Avoid this at all costs. It comes across as lifeless and cliche. Describe people through their character and personality, rather than their looks. It's more interesting and avoids info-dumps. If physical description must be included, have it said through dialogue or in passing (but even this can be awkward if not done properly). The novel that begins with waking up in the morning is almost always going to bore the reader. Don't do it. Invest your reader in the action or emotion from the word 'go'!

Good point, but there are ways to make scenes like that interesting and not info-dumping. It's a good place to start and it can always be changed later.

Ah, I should mention this isn't my first story. But it will, hopefully, be my best. I intend to write it and make it quite long. Quality before quantity, though.

Ah, okay. My advice still stands, though. You can use cliche/cliched ways of presenting things as long as you somehow add your own twist, or do something to make those necessary but sometimes boring introductory parts more interesting.

Thing is, I've read books where the author barely describes how a character looks - instead describing and emphasizing how a character's personality is. I think that's best - the outward appearances will most always change. It's the personality/character of your person that counts most. (Though outward appearances do help people visualize your character better.)

For starting, I'd say, if you have a scene from the story clearly in your head, write that. Once you have that start branching out scene by scene and figuring out how they connect on your story timeline, or timelines if you follow that sort of storytelling model. Once you develop a direction it should start rolling along. Don't be afraid to work scenes around to connect once they form.

For me, what helps is creating a past for each charectar, so you know why they act and do certain things. That dosen't mean you have to let the reader learn anything right away, but it helps you to write them better.