Do you have a hard time imagining people's faces based on descriptions?

[Madman Starryteller]

No matter the description or the writing, I just can't imagine a face based on a written description of it. Probably also the reason for why I never write facial descriptions myself.

I also can not imagine my own characters' faces, they're all blurry. In reality I have good facial recognition and can remember faces most of the time.

I was just wondering if I'm a stranger in a strange land or if anyone else have trouble with facial descriptions in books?

Edit:
I would also like to hear from people who can imagine people's faces based on descriptions. How do you do it?

 

[Homer Potvin]

I don't think I've noticed one way or the other. It's kind of hard to describe what's going on in my head in terms of mental images when I read. It's not like a movie with all the details fleshed out, but it's not a blank canvas either. I think the details as written sort of auto-transcribe in my brain among a mix of images, emotions, reactions, or whatever. I don't think there would be enough "time" to notice or not notice a character's face in my head before I've moved onto the next sentence. Like, I wouldn't stop reading because the character's face didn't form a concrete image in my head or anything. End of the day, I think I just form a picture of what a character looks like in my head and that's the end of that for the duration. Not sure if that makes sense or not.

 

[Trish]

I do see their faces, depending on the description. If the description is lacking, my brain just kind of fills in the details and creates a face. That face stays until something in their description changes. If an author messes up by changing it unintentionally (says red hair instead of brown, describes their face in detail, but forgets to mention the scar they said at the beginning, suddenly they have or don't have a beard or glasses or something) it completely throws me off and I have to go back to see if it's my brain or their writing that's wrong. It makes me a little absurd in the continuity department, with my own writing and others. As to how I do it, I have no idea. It's not intentional, it just happens. It's frustrating actually, because if the continuity is off enough I can't keep reading. It's too distracting.

The same is true of environment though. If the wall color changes and they aren't in the middle of a remodel or there isn't a mention of the sun coming through the window and casting a glow or something it drives me nuts. Unlike Homer, it very much creates a movie in my head.

On the other side of that, if there are similar changes in visual media, they have to be *really* obvious and bad for them to bother me. My brain accepts what it is shown most of the time, but not what it had to imagine. If that makes sense at all?

 

[Night Herald]

I get an immediate impression of a face, but usually not an actual image. The latter can happen if the description is detailed and distinctive enough to be interesting, and the character compelling enough to want to render in high resolution.

Mostly I have a roster of internal "actors" that I cast in appropriate roles, at least where minor characters and the supporting cast is concerned. Shoutout to Generic Caucasian Twenty-Something Hunk #4, you've been killing it lately. Most of the differentiation happens in costuming and makeup. In most cases the faces (and every other visual) is kind of vague and cartoonish in my mind. There are of course exceptions, depending on writing style etc. And if I'm listening to a leisurely-paced audiobook with my eyes closed, I can produce highly detailed, near photorealistic visuals, because there isn't any competing visual input. Even then I usually prefer a cartoony or CGI look (think Arcane) over pure gritty reality.

Bit of a tangent here, but one of my favorite accidents is when I fall asleep listening to an audiobook and start dreaming the story. It's pretty hard not to see a character's face clearly when they're standing there looking straight at you and talking.

It's a bit different with the characters I write, of course. I know most of their faces quite well indeed. I guess you kinda have to, if you want to make them come alive on the page.

 

[GoldMoon]

No matter the description, I feel like the face I see is always the same face with a few details like hair changed.

 

[JT Woody]

I would also like to hear from people who can imagine people's faces based on descriptions. How do you do it?

I dont know how i do it. I just visualize them.
I know i used to get super annoyed whenever a favorite book was depicted in other media, like a graphic novel or a movie, because the characters never matched what they looked like in my head.
Sometimes, if there is any kind of detail on the cover, that helps me. Also, another big thing is the "default" factor.... growing up, the default character was white. So that limited my options as to visualization.
But back to cover details: the first cover of James Patterson's Angel Experiment had the MC Max as having mousy brown hair. So for years, thats how i envisioned her. But then later covers came out with her being blonde with straight hair. And then the graphic novel came out, and she had big blond curles. Ugh.

Then, the book, Wait For Me by An Na... the author is asian. And on the book cover that i owned, you see the MC's eyes framed by dark hair. I was in 8th or 9th grade when i read it, so i envisioned an asian actress as my frame of reference (there was an Asian character on Degrassi named Leah, and she was my frame of reference).

Books with no hints on the cover, i rely on details and actions.

(Going back to the "default" factor)
I dont do this anymore because because there is more visibility for POC characters and authors where when i was growing up, itvwas VERY limited. But People still unconsciously do it, i've found.
On the old forum, i mentioned me providing a dsecription of my MC that (in my mind) paints her as POC. But a beta reader assumed she was white and a few chapters later when another character mentions her race in passing, the beta reader wrote that that wasnt how she envisoned the character and she didnt like that now her "picture" of the character was ruined.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Do I have a hard time imagining people's faces based on descriptions of those faces? Sometimes, but I don't let it annoy me. Life's too short to get annoyed at vague descriptions.

But as a writer (big recommendation coming up!): when I'm stuck about what my character should feel (or look like), I use my copy of The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Rebecca Puglisi. It's a great resource for what people do, look like, and feel in times of stress, happiness, mental anguish, etc. (Of course, I don't go overboard, but let the readers draw their own conclusions).

For instance, when a character is angry, their nostrils flare, or their fists clench, or the lines around their eyes grow tight - all good visual clues. When a character is happy, their mouths drop open, or their eyes grow wider, or they mumble "I don't believe it" ... or, or, or. Again, I don't reuse the same imagery, but mix it up.

Take a look at the book! I found it helpful and easy.

 

[Louanne Learning]

When I am writing a character, a visual usually comes to my mind. I might write out a few important details, like the look in their eyes, and overall appearance, but mostly I rely on the imagination of the reader to fill in the blanks.

 

[Naomasa298]

Take a look at the book! I found it helpful and easy.

I prefer to rely on personal experience, wherever possible. Far easier to visualise.

 

[GoldMoon]

But as a writer (big recommendation coming up!): when I'm stuck about what my character should feel (or look like), I use my copy of The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Rebecca Puglisi.

I double recommend this. I have her whole series.

 

[DLC]

In romantasy, just look at the author's picture on the dust cover.

 

[Trish]

In romantasy, just look at the author's picture on the dust cover.

Ah. The elitist view. Gotta love it.

 

[GoldMoon]

In romantasy, just look at the author's picture on the dust cover.

All the guys look the same there. Just make sure you add the six pack.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

In romantasy, just look at the author's picture on the dust cover.

All the guys look the same there. Just make sure you add the six pack.

And don't make them look anything like Fabio Lanzoni.

(Fabio posed for hundreds and hundreds of romance novels in the 80s and 90s. No wonder all the guys look the same -- they're all based on him). ;-P