Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/32973
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Don't describe the character's body. Let the action and the other characters do it for you.

> "Have you met Lydia yet?"
> 
> "No, why?"
> 
> John and Andy exchanged a knowing look. "Let me just say that once you do, you'll forget all about what's-her-name".

_Later_

> Without any apparent shame, John and Andy leered at Lydia as she stormed off.
> 
> "Man! Did you see that?" Andy whispered as soon as Lydia was out of earshot. "That's a body that just won't quit!" John laughed and he and Andy high-fived.
> 
> "Sure, I guess," mumbled Brian. He shifted is feet and looked down. They were wrong, of course. Not about Lydia's body, but about it distracting him from his memories of Samatha.

One advantage to letting your characters show the audience another character's attractiveness is you learn something about all the characters, not just the attractive one.

Another advantage is that we all may have different visions of what the most beautiful woman in the world looks like. If you write, "She was the most beautiful woman in the world," it's pretty weak and we just read the words and move on. If you actually describe in literal detail, some readers will find the picture formed in their minds to be of someone they don't find particularly attractive. If you write,

> Helen's beauty was spoken of by travelers and tradesmen all over the known world. Duels to the death were fought between would-be suitors almost every week. Princes, Emirs, and Sultans from the richest kingdoms brought huge dowries to Helen's father to try to sway him into forcing her to marry. But as beautiful as men all over the world knew her to be, to her father she was precious beyond anything, and he would not force her to marry against her wishes for any amount of gold.

Then the readers will imagine their _own_ idea of what the most beautiful woman in the world looks like, and she will be that beautiful for each reader. It's really the _only_ way to get a reader to really feel the beauty - they have to complete the picture in their minds.

Original score: 42