How to describe a person without writing a list

“She had brown hair, blue eyes and was quite tall.” This is a police report, not a description. It tells us nothing about who she is.

Choose details that reveal character

“Her school tie was always loosened by second period.” This tells us about her personality, not just her appearance.

Describe through action

Instead of a static list, show the person doing something: “He pushed his glasses up his nose with one finger, the way he always did before correcting someone.”

Use comparison

“My uncle laughed like a car that would not start.” One fresh comparison can do more than a paragraph.

Let the narrator’s feelings colour it

How the narrator feels about someone changes how they see them. An adored grandfather’s wrinkles are “laughter lines”; a feared headteacher’s are “creases like a crumpled letter”.

Try it: describe someone you know in three sentences without mentioning hair, eyes or height. Could a friend guess who it is?