Descriptions

When you're describing characters, do you give them a one or two word defining description? For example, a guy has "untrimmed facial hair". Then you use that description several more times for that particular character. That will work. The reader will remember the character and know immediately who you're referring to.

But why repeat the description? Consider other similar descriptive words that you can use. You could say "unshaven" or "scraggy" or "bristly" or even "stubbly". 

How about colors? Rather than saying her dress was blue or the house was painted blue, how about "robin's egg" or "indigo" or "steel blue". There are all kinds of words that show blue, like sapphire or marine. A "blue" can be  defined by adding another color or word, like "greenish blue" or reddish blue, or Dresden blue or peacock blue.

What if a character is feeling uneasy about something? That doesn't really give us an image of him or her. Is he restless? Jittery? Is she nervous? Fidgety? Ill at ease?

If a character is combative, is he defiant or belligerent? Scrappy or rambunctious?

Sometimes you know the exact word to describe someone or something. Sometimes you have to think about the best word to describe someone or something. You can use a thesaurus. Or a dictionary. Or you start your own list of descriptive words that you know or hear.

Get the right word rather than take the first word that comes to mind. Use the word that will immediately bring a visual into the reader's head -- the visual that you want them to have.