Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46248
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46248
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

+1 wetcircuit; my initial thought as well (have other people comment on their appearance). So, something different:

You don't need a mirror for the MC to comment on _themselves_, particularly with friends. The key here is that if her/his looks matter to the story, there are consequences (and if there are no consequences, the looks don't matter).

And those consequences, in their personality and interactions and thoughts and relationships and even behavior, can reveal the details of their looks. If the character cannot reach something on a high shelf in a grocery store, she's short, she asks a tall guy for help. Vice versa: If you want to tell us Mike is tall, have him pass by a short girl (or grandmother if you want to ensure no romantic interest) that asks him for help reaching something; and he does her a favor.

If you don't tell us anything, we'll presume your MC is average, or above average, since we tend to project our own desires on them. Figure out how the unusual features have impact on their life, or make something up so they do.

e.g. for a female MC with green eyes (her unusual feature):

> Karen said, "Guess what? On my shift I saw a little girl with exactly the same green eyes as you! Isn't that weird? Maybe you have a half-sister out there!"
> 
> I said, "Well, since they are my Mom's eyes, it would mean she had another baby after me and gave it up. I think I would've have noticed!"
> 
> "Oh you're so literal. Maybe you had a baby and didn't notice!"
> 
> "Sure, that's it. When I was twelve. I felt really weird one day, must've been then."

e.g. for a female MC that is plain:

> "I'm not like you, Karen, if _you_ ask him to dance, he'll be happy. For me, there's a good chance he'll say no thanks, and you know _Karen,_ right? Does she like me?"
> 
> "Then tell him I don't, because he's a jerk!"
> 
> "That's not exactly the outcome I'd be hoping for."
> 
> Karen rolled her eyes. "So if you think Jay is a jerk, why do you like him?"
> 
> "He is such a jerk! But remember Mike used to get grabby with Linda, all the time? You know why he quit? Jay pushed him off. And Mike was pissed off, and Jay was like, c'mon pussy! And ever since then, I can't get him out of my head."
> 
> Karen frowned. "Well now _I_ like him!"
> 
> "Great, you two will be so wonderful together."
> 
> Karen laughed. "How about I will like him for you. We have to get him to know you, somehow. Like work on a project together."

I make these examples purposely long to demonstrate a technique; you find a way for the trait to have some consequence, minor or major, but you bury the reveal of the trait in a scene that isn't all **about** the trait. It comes out in conversation, or personal thoughts, or the reactions of others. It is surrounded with other information. It is conveyed _in character_. You can do this with multiple scenes for multiple traits (but most people don't have too many _unusual_ traits). The reader will still get it, but you haven't pulled out the "mirror inventory" scene.

Original score: 9