Do I need to repeat character descriptions of main characters from one book to the next?

In a tight long story, as in The Hobbit dovetailing into The Lord of the Rings, character expo occurs only as-needed. By Return of the King, every reader with normal perception is long familiar with a hobbit's baseline appearance. Only distinguishing and changed bits are mentioned, e.g. especially curly hair on the feet, or Merry & Pippin's altered appearance thanks to drinking Ent-draughts.

Aside from their being a sign of poor writing, I find rehashed character expo-dumps to be a boring irritant: boring because they are unnecessary, irritating because the writer seems to be expressing not just a lack of confidence in her storytelling but also a low opinion of the reader.

posted almost 6 years ago

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A. S. Templeton‭

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Whether or not your sequel can be read as a standalone novel, in the years that pass between the publication of one book and the next, it is quite likely that your readers would have forgotten some things. You should offer them a reminder.

That said, if you repeat everything, it might be boring for a reader who reads the whole series in sequel. (When J.K. Rowling was still writing Harry Potter, years would pass between books. Nowadays, they are all available to the reader.) A few key things seem to me like a good balance between repeating everything, and repeating nothing.

Something you can do is weave some of the "reminders" into the dialogue, for example - remember how everyone comments on Harry Potter's green eyes? Or it can be woven into the action: Harry might see Ron's red hair from afar. Such reminders feel more organic than a repeat of a description we're already familiar with, serving both those who remember, and those who might have forgotten, and giving enough information to those who have never read the previous book(s).

posted almost 6 years ago

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Galastel‭

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