Post by Wyndlily Sharphowl on Jan 27, 2009 20:17:01 GMT -5
So you're new to Furcadia, or you've got a new character and you want to come up with a description for it. Where do you even begin? Well, first, let's talk about what a description is and is not.
A description IS: what the viewer (whoever clicked on you) sees when he looks at your character. Just the stuff on the outside.
A description is NOT: your character's life story or competition history. It's not the place to describe your character's personality in-depth.
Now let's review some common mistakes authors make when writing a character's description:
Getting too specific. It is one thing to describe your character as "unusually tall". It is another thing to describe your character as "5'6" or "14.2hh". That's for your website, NOT your description. Do you look at someone crossing the street and immediately identify that the person is precisely 6'2"? No. But you would notice that he is rather tall, or at least taller than average.
If you want to put specifics in your description, put them in parenthesis or brackets at the end. Don't tie them in with the rest of your information.
Not being specific enough. There’s a lot to cover in a description. For an anthro character: human or furre? Or something else? What fur/skin color? What hair color? Any hats or head coverings? Eye color? What's the character's general demeanor -- is she or he probably scowling, or smiling? What's your character's build like -- downright fat, anorexic, or somewhere in between. What is your character wearing? Does she or he have any distinguishing markings, scars, or tattoos that would be noticeable? For an animal character: What fur color? What fur length? Any halters, collars, blankets, or other "clothing" items? Describe them. Any distinguishing markings? How long is his or her mane or tail? Eye color? Is your character well-kept or caked with mud?
Failing to use proper grammar. By all means, no one is perfect! But try your hardest to proof read your description just like you proof read your posts. (You are proof reading before you hit "enter", right? Right?) Some common examples of errors in this department include misplaced apostrophes, and confusion of words like "your/you're".
Apostrophes signal two things: ownership ("That is Clara's purse.") or a contraction ("You can't go there." Remember that "it's" ALWAYS translates to "it is". "Download it's attachment." actually means "Download it is attachment." which makes no sense at all. (The correct sentence is "Download its attachment." with no apostrophe at all.) Likewise, "they're" means "they are", so you would not say "Those popsicles are they'res."
Failing to spell check. There is no excuse for this! Pop your description into Microsoft Word or a similar program and correct any mistakes it detects.
Capitalizing random words. The only things in a description that need to be capitalized are names ("Tango", "Angela"), places ("Boston", "England", "Four Star Farms"), the first letter of every sentence, and proper breed names ("Arabian", "Shetland Sheepdog").
Assuming the viewer knows certain things about your character. Write your description from the perspective of a stranger looking at you on the street. He does not know your name, so do not put something in your description like "as her name suggests". I don't know what your name suggests -- I haven't met you yet!
This also ties into what I mentioned before about history. I don't know that your brother is dead, or that the bruises on your arm are from your mother beating you with a toaster. I don't know what your future is, or what you are destined to do. I don't even know what your job is unless it’s something that I can guess from your clothing. (For example, if you're wearing breeches and riding boots, it IS safe to describe your character as an "equestrian". If you're wearing an evening gown and 4" stilettos, how the heck would I know that you ride horses every weekend?)
Finally, don't worry about being perfect. There is no perfect description! As long as other role-players can get a decent feel for your character, it is sufficient. Remember to leave some aspects of your character hidden to be uncovered only through role play -- it's more exciting and realistic that way.
A description IS: what the viewer (whoever clicked on you) sees when he looks at your character. Just the stuff on the outside.
A description is NOT: your character's life story or competition history. It's not the place to describe your character's personality in-depth.
Now let's review some common mistakes authors make when writing a character's description:
Getting too specific. It is one thing to describe your character as "unusually tall". It is another thing to describe your character as "5'6" or "14.2hh". That's for your website, NOT your description. Do you look at someone crossing the street and immediately identify that the person is precisely 6'2"? No. But you would notice that he is rather tall, or at least taller than average.
If you want to put specifics in your description, put them in parenthesis or brackets at the end. Don't tie them in with the rest of your information.
Not being specific enough. There’s a lot to cover in a description. For an anthro character: human or furre? Or something else? What fur/skin color? What hair color? Any hats or head coverings? Eye color? What's the character's general demeanor -- is she or he probably scowling, or smiling? What's your character's build like -- downright fat, anorexic, or somewhere in between. What is your character wearing? Does she or he have any distinguishing markings, scars, or tattoos that would be noticeable? For an animal character: What fur color? What fur length? Any halters, collars, blankets, or other "clothing" items? Describe them. Any distinguishing markings? How long is his or her mane or tail? Eye color? Is your character well-kept or caked with mud?
Failing to use proper grammar. By all means, no one is perfect! But try your hardest to proof read your description just like you proof read your posts. (You are proof reading before you hit "enter", right? Right?) Some common examples of errors in this department include misplaced apostrophes, and confusion of words like "your/you're".
Apostrophes signal two things: ownership ("That is Clara's purse.") or a contraction ("You can't go there." Remember that "it's" ALWAYS translates to "it is". "Download it's attachment." actually means "Download it is attachment." which makes no sense at all. (The correct sentence is "Download its attachment." with no apostrophe at all.) Likewise, "they're" means "they are", so you would not say "Those popsicles are they'res."
Failing to spell check. There is no excuse for this! Pop your description into Microsoft Word or a similar program and correct any mistakes it detects.
Capitalizing random words. The only things in a description that need to be capitalized are names ("Tango", "Angela"), places ("Boston", "England", "Four Star Farms"), the first letter of every sentence, and proper breed names ("Arabian", "Shetland Sheepdog").
Assuming the viewer knows certain things about your character. Write your description from the perspective of a stranger looking at you on the street. He does not know your name, so do not put something in your description like "as her name suggests". I don't know what your name suggests -- I haven't met you yet!
This also ties into what I mentioned before about history. I don't know that your brother is dead, or that the bruises on your arm are from your mother beating you with a toaster. I don't know what your future is, or what you are destined to do. I don't even know what your job is unless it’s something that I can guess from your clothing. (For example, if you're wearing breeches and riding boots, it IS safe to describe your character as an "equestrian". If you're wearing an evening gown and 4" stilettos, how the heck would I know that you ride horses every weekend?)
Finally, don't worry about being perfect. There is no perfect description! As long as other role-players can get a decent feel for your character, it is sufficient. Remember to leave some aspects of your character hidden to be uncovered only through role play -- it's more exciting and realistic that way.