Hi all.

I've decided to post small 'tricks of the writing trade' every once in a 
while to help unexperienced writers polish their craft.

Canonical Characterizations 101:  Descriptions

Many unexperienced writers feel the need to explain facets of a 
character we already know (canonical characters, not new characters whom 
we naturally know nothing about). This practice clutters the prose, it 
can make the reader annoyed when the material contradicts his own 
perceptions of the character, and it's often taken by experienced 
readers, such as myself, as a set-up for an OOC description.

In a nutshell--don't do it. You know how a character looks, acts and 
what is capable of, and so does the reader. It's acceptable only when 
done through the eyes of a new character who doesn't know anything about 
the canonical characters, and only then when it isn't gratuitous.



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