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Visual Images of Characters?

Does anyone find it useful to have actual photos or drawings of what their characters look like?

This is a new concept for me because I am not the kind of person who can match a name to a face based purely on what that person looks like (for instance, I'm bad at coming up with good, interesting names for pets and toys and cars and whatever else you might want to give a name to).

Also, I find that I can't describe my characters' physical features for nuts - except for the basic and obvious ones like hair and eye colour - and mostly I only have a vague notion of how they look even when I'm writing the story.

Can anyone relate or am I just unimaginative?

Character appearances matter very little in my eye. Think about this:

What makes you who you are - what you look like or what you do?

Looks aren't important when it comes to characterization. However, as readers, people do want to know what someone looks like. I also usually only describe colors and sizes of people - including hair and eyes. Give someone a character that has long black hair, and they will usually make the face on their own as they learn about the character. In fact, their image may even change as they read.

However, one thing that is important when describing characters is to add in any unusual traits; burn marks, scars, really pale, emaciated, etc. These things can have some relation to the story/character background, and shouldn't just be added in to change someone's appearance.

(Oh Clapton. I'm gonna pull out the quote again )

"With straightforward narrative you may be able to create in the reader's imagination a visual image of a character, but the character will spring to life only when he is put to the test, when he is forced to make a decision and act."

-James N. Frey, How to Write a Damn Good Novel

Just note that this is merely my opinion (and James Frey's ) and there are bound to be those who disagree. But considering that, I hope this helps

Oh I'm not saying appearance makes you who you are and all that. I'm just wondering if people find it useful - either when they're creating characters or developing/writing their stories - to have actual pictures of the characters in front of them.

Sort of like to help in the inspiration department or make the characters more real to you or even when you're writing descriptions of the characters.

Hahaha, I was just thinking about the mirror thing the other day. It does look lame, but it's the obvious, easy solution. I like creating interactions between characters that make the reader infer about the narrator.

And yeah, I have a clear picture in my head of what my characters look like because as people, we're driven by non-verbal cues. Actually, it bothers me when I can't quite pin down someone's appearance for that reason. If you're describing what's going on in the narrator's head, then personality is usually covered. People react differently to looks, and attitudes can sometimes be assumed by the reader or character (correctly or not) by appearance.