Lesson 3, Disscussion

Lesson 3, Discussion

          Cheryl Wright in trying to explain her concept of physical appearance vs. imagination gave example after example that increased my awareness of her lesson. It never hurts, in my case, to have several examples of what is trying to be said. The author gave physical descriptions, in many examples, by stating what one character saw about another. Or having character (1) state what another character (2) is noticing about character (1). In this way character (1) has his/her description revealed through character (2). Seems a little complex on paper, yet in practice, it is nothing more than this example:
         Jeannie thought, “Woe, Jerry’s eyes are naughty today. Does he object to my long, bare legs, or my 35, 28, 33 hips, my blonde hair or my blue eyes that he is, finally, looking into?”
         A stage actor, when studying the character he will portray, needs to search out within the play: 1) What the author says about the character, 2) What the character says about himself, (3) What other characters say about the character the actor will play. This author, Wright, covers, in the main, what other characters say about the character being described in creative fiction writing. She has shied away from what the author says directly about the character, or what the character directly says about himself/herself.
         This lesson enlightens her students on how to give only a glimpse of the physical attributes of a character. This technique leaves the readers room to use his/her imagination. Is it necessary to state: Height, weight, color of hair, color of eyes, facial features, size of shoes, length of arms, size of shoulders or (other body parts)? According to Cheryl Wright, a smaller bit of information on physical description is all that is necessary.