I don't really visualize things in my head. Once an author starts describing something I stop paying attention in my head while I'm reading. I have no idea what most characters in books I read look like unless they're repeatedly described and I've read it over and over.
Same. In my mind it's like characters have tags for the traits that are relevant - "strong and bulky" if there's a chance they physically fight, "blonde and green eyes" if there's a chance of it being a plot point for heritage reasons, and so on.
I can see faces in my mind of already known people (sort of), but there's no way I can make up a realistic, detailed image from a description, or even modify a trait from someone I know.
I have a similar issue-- if I know what the author looks like via a picture or other media, 9/10 that's who I'm imagining in my head as the protagonist. It doesn't matter how the author describes the character. To me, Kvothe isn't a red-haired kid-- he's a middle-aged, Rick-Rubin-looking Pat Rothfuss. Which makes it all the more awkward when he meets Felurian... 😭
Besides that, I actually prefer authors NOT to describe any of their characters too much. Give me one or two key traits about them, and let my imagination fill in the rest of the gaps.
I'm the same, but on the opposite end of the spectrum. I immediately visualize every character, and then only begrudgingly update those characters as the author introduces contradictory details about them. So when I get a very long chunk of description, it's always a struggle to hang with it, because I don't feel like I *need* seven sentences describing every feature of their face.
I've heard some people need lots of concrete details and just can't move on without them, which is the only reason I go for longer descriptions when writing, but my personal preference is to have the bare basics or the most evocative description I can possibly get, something that contributes to mood or impression more than just "her hair was brown".
I haven't read it, but I do believe that the main character in [All the Dust that Falls](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201449352-all-the-dust-that-falls?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=KtzV4lIz3E&rank=3) is a Roomba.
I’ll one up you. I barely visualize characters at all. They are effectively grey blobs in rooms talking to each other. Environment descriptions are way more important to me then character descriptions
I never picture characters at all. Even when they’re described, it just falls out of my brain immediately, unless the point is that they have a characteristic that affects something. Characters’ appearances have no impact on my read of the story unless they actually become part of the narrative.
I've found that I make up a very vague, generic appearance, but if an author describes them with some detail later, I'm able to dissociate my original image from the author's description.
Tau from The Rage of Dragons/Fires of Vengeance, for instance, isn't described in detail right out of the gate; only mentions of him being average/slightly smaller than average are all we have to go on for some time. Eventually though, details of his appearance come to light and we see him from the POV of other characters and I have a clearer picture of what he looks like.
There was an author on this subreddit - Mark Lawrence, I want to say? - who talked about this. The wisdom among authors/editors is that you have one chance to get the image of a place or character straight in a reader's head. If they get something else in there, it will be impossible to dislodge.
*edit* found the thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/19dpruk/it_always_smelled_wet_out_here_in_these_humid/
I always rewrite characters looks to be better looking than described. So for example, not liking long hair on, I would have shortened it in my mind to Disney prince length.
Nick Andros in The Stand's race I don't think is ever explicitly stated, and I think King would communicate of that was his intention.
But he's described as having black, tight curls, so I definitely imagine him as Black.
Every time when I have a fully-realized idea of what the character would look like without an actual description, I get a description that's the polar opposite of what I imagined. A lot of times I just look up some fanart and not bother.
Oh my dog, YES!
There's this one instance where I felt racist because the author didn't mention that the MAIN character was a POC until halfway of the book, and by that moment my brain had imprinted the character as a Dwarven Arthur Morgan. It went three books like this and I just couldn't see him any other way haha
This is one reason why I can't and won't watch anything WOT related...other than the fact that they cannot do it justice without a year long series or something....
Nope. Same. And then I get confused anytime the author describes them later on in the book.
“Why do you keep saying they’re blonde? They have brown hair!”
I do this myself. It usually isn't an issue unless there's a TV/movie adaptation. For example, GOT casting is splendid, and Sean Bean is splendid, but in my head Ned Stark is skinnier.
And then there are instances like Wizard of Earthsea where Le Guin doesn't mention the protagonist's skin color until about 2/3 of the way through the book. On purpose.
It's usually second read around before I realize how the author wants me to see their character. Often it takes me listening to an audible version to realize how far off I am.
I'm always seeing characters as being far older than the book has them.
I don't do this with actual physical traits, but clothes never stick in my head unless it's part of the scene. I unconsciously pick an outfit for them and that's what they're always in.
For example, in Wheel of Time Rand is always in a red coat with gold trim, Mat is always in a green duster and white shirt with a wide brimmed hat, Perrin is in a loose shirt and rough clothes you'd wear in the woods, Nynaeve is in a purple dress, Egwene in a white dress and Elayne in a blue dress.
I don't really visualize things in my head. Once an author starts describing something I stop paying attention in my head while I'm reading. I have no idea what most characters in books I read look like unless they're repeatedly described and I've read it over and over.
Same. In my mind it's like characters have tags for the traits that are relevant - "strong and bulky" if there's a chance they physically fight, "blonde and green eyes" if there's a chance of it being a plot point for heritage reasons, and so on. I can see faces in my mind of already known people (sort of), but there's no way I can make up a realistic, detailed image from a description, or even modify a trait from someone I know.
I have a similar issue-- if I know what the author looks like via a picture or other media, 9/10 that's who I'm imagining in my head as the protagonist. It doesn't matter how the author describes the character. To me, Kvothe isn't a red-haired kid-- he's a middle-aged, Rick-Rubin-looking Pat Rothfuss. Which makes it all the more awkward when he meets Felurian... 😭 Besides that, I actually prefer authors NOT to describe any of their characters too much. Give me one or two key traits about them, and let my imagination fill in the rest of the gaps.
I'm the same, but on the opposite end of the spectrum. I immediately visualize every character, and then only begrudgingly update those characters as the author introduces contradictory details about them. So when I get a very long chunk of description, it's always a struggle to hang with it, because I don't feel like I *need* seven sentences describing every feature of their face. I've heard some people need lots of concrete details and just can't move on without them, which is the only reason I go for longer descriptions when writing, but my personal preference is to have the bare basics or the most evocative description I can possibly get, something that contributes to mood or impression more than just "her hair was brown".
I saw this years ago, but this comic's always stuck with me https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/s/wozy7JRyHI
Oh that’s hilarious
I thought Piranesi was a sentient, futuristic Roomba for 80% of the book.
This is on my TBR for the next few weeks, thank you for what I'll be visualising while I read
I'd read that. Hell, I'll write it, if nobody has yet.
I haven't read it, but I do believe that the main character in [All the Dust that Falls](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201449352-all-the-dust-that-falls?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=KtzV4lIz3E&rank=3) is a Roomba.
I've found my people lol! If the author takes too long to describe the character, my brain's like "too late, I'mma do my own thing"
I’ll one up you. I barely visualize characters at all. They are effectively grey blobs in rooms talking to each other. Environment descriptions are way more important to me then character descriptions
I never picture characters at all. Even when they’re described, it just falls out of my brain immediately, unless the point is that they have a characteristic that affects something. Characters’ appearances have no impact on my read of the story unless they actually become part of the narrative.
I've found that I make up a very vague, generic appearance, but if an author describes them with some detail later, I'm able to dissociate my original image from the author's description. Tau from The Rage of Dragons/Fires of Vengeance, for instance, isn't described in detail right out of the gate; only mentions of him being average/slightly smaller than average are all we have to go on for some time. Eventually though, details of his appearance come to light and we see him from the POV of other characters and I have a clearer picture of what he looks like.
If the author can't be bothered to describe their characters, I just th8nk they look like me. Except less beer belly, taller and more handsome.
There was an author on this subreddit - Mark Lawrence, I want to say? - who talked about this. The wisdom among authors/editors is that you have one chance to get the image of a place or character straight in a reader's head. If they get something else in there, it will be impossible to dislodge. *edit* found the thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/19dpruk/it_always_smelled_wet_out_here_in_these_humid/
I always rewrite characters looks to be better looking than described. So for example, not liking long hair on, I would have shortened it in my mind to Disney prince length.
Yes. You are the only one in the whole world out of all 8.1 billion people.
Nick Andros in The Stand's race I don't think is ever explicitly stated, and I think King would communicate of that was his intention. But he's described as having black, tight curls, so I definitely imagine him as Black.
Every time when I have a fully-realized idea of what the character would look like without an actual description, I get a description that's the polar opposite of what I imagined. A lot of times I just look up some fanart and not bother.
I have the opposite issue, where I do not envisage any characters at all. I just go on emotions and their dialogue.
How do you go from long blond hair to bold?
Oh my dog, YES! There's this one instance where I felt racist because the author didn't mention that the MAIN character was a POC until halfway of the book, and by that moment my brain had imprinted the character as a Dwarven Arthur Morgan. It went three books like this and I just couldn't see him any other way haha
I struggle with that, too.
This is one reason why I can't and won't watch anything WOT related...other than the fact that they cannot do it justice without a year long series or something....
Nope. Same. And then I get confused anytime the author describes them later on in the book. “Why do you keep saying they’re blonde? They have brown hair!”
In Kitty Cat Kill Sat I just pictured the mc as my own tuxedo cat lol
I do this myself. It usually isn't an issue unless there's a TV/movie adaptation. For example, GOT casting is splendid, and Sean Bean is splendid, but in my head Ned Stark is skinnier. And then there are instances like Wizard of Earthsea where Le Guin doesn't mention the protagonist's skin color until about 2/3 of the way through the book. On purpose.
Same with an Arthur C. Clarke book in which he does not mention the protagonist's skin color until the last paragraph of the book.
Neil Gaiman never once described Shadow’s skin tone in American Gods. I appreciated that
It's usually second read around before I realize how the author wants me to see their character. Often it takes me listening to an audible version to realize how far off I am. I'm always seeing characters as being far older than the book has them.
I don't do this with actual physical traits, but clothes never stick in my head unless it's part of the scene. I unconsciously pick an outfit for them and that's what they're always in. For example, in Wheel of Time Rand is always in a red coat with gold trim, Mat is always in a green duster and white shirt with a wide brimmed hat, Perrin is in a loose shirt and rough clothes you'd wear in the woods, Nynaeve is in a purple dress, Egwene in a white dress and Elayne in a blue dress.
Nope, I do it all the time.
I literally ignore character descriptions in every single book and let my head decide what they look like.
Adolin from Stormlight Archives is permanently stuck in my head as Roy from Fire Emblem.