It’s Wednesday again, and I’m back from vacation. I was good and didn’t do any writing, editing, or beta reading for a whole week. I did do some reading just for fun, though, and spent time with my family up in the hills of West Virginia. Good times.
I’m introducing another character (finally!) this week. The scene actually takes place before the one I posted last time, just as Micah arrives at the lake house. I knew when I wrote this character that he absolutely needed to be a redhead, but I was at a bit of a loss for how he should look. One of the things I do in preparing to write is browse Google images for people who resemble the ones in my head. I then use a private board on Pinterest to save the pictures (it’s not public because of copyright issues; I honestly don’t care if people see it, but I don’t like to infringe on photographers’ rights, and Pinterest is questionable).
Anyway, while searching for a good image, I came across the work of a photographer who did a project on red-haired men. Apparently, many people consider red hair unsexy. I find that strange, as I think red hair of all shades, on both men and women, is gorgeous. Also, I adore freckles—I think they are very attractive. I couldn’t quite figure out how to describe this character’s hair, though, so I’m open to suggestions. I’m picturing something like a more vibrant strawberry blond, but I’ve never heard a guy described using that term before.
For the very curious, here is the link to an article featuring the photographer’s work. My character is an amalgam of several of the lovely guys in the photos.
Now for the snippet. WIPpet math: 4/23 = 4 + 2 + 3 = 9 sentences.
A voice behind him said, “Hey, there.”
Micah nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around slowly and came face-to-face with a gingery-blond young man. He was average height, perhaps an inch or two shorter than Micah, and was considerably on the thin side. There was a dusting of freckles across his pale skin, and he had a row of small hoops down one ear. In the other ear, he wore a dangling earring that looked like some kind of leaf. He had on a trendy pair of tight, black knee-length pants and a fitted white t-shirt with a rock band logo Micah didn’t recognize. His gray-green eyes were wide and held a spark of mischief, and his mouth curled upward in a charming smirk.
For a moment, Micah was disarmed, but he quickly recovered himself so as not to be caught staring.
And there you have it. Don’t worry, New Guy will be back next week. Meanwhile, go read the other entries. If you want to add your own, just post a bit of your current work-in-progress, making sure it involves something about today’s date. Thanks to K.L. Schwengel for hosting. Happy reading, everyone!
haha or to be caught drooling!! =P I think ginger works great. That’s the way Ron was described a lot.
Yup! I wasn’t sure about ginger, since that seems more a UK thing. But it’s pretty much exactly the color I had in mind. There’s a difference between a more orange/blond shade and genuinely red, which is darker, and that’s the distinction I need.
I think your description is great! And I don’t think ginger is a UK thing — they used it on Glee, after all. 🙂 I do think you can cut “considerably” though — all together, it’s kind of a mouthful.
Regarding descriptions, all I can come up with right now is my granddaughter’s insistence that the *very* red-headed guy in her daycare group has orange hair. While it is a perfect description, it probably wouldn’t work for what you’re shooting for. *g*
Oh, good—I hadn’t known they’d used it on Glee. Well, that makes me feel better. No, orange is definitely not *quite* the word I want. LOL!
Didn’t think so. *g*
I’m one of those “not too fond of red-headed guys” gals, but… it’s really a matter of the guy himself, not the hair color. Two of my favorite secondary characters in my own stories are gingers, both men I’ve described (and considered) to be very attractive and masculine (though Andy’s had his “moments”). Basically, it’s like any other physical feature… it can be carried off well on the right person.
And there are some incredible looking men in that photoshoot.
What a great description! It’s so vivid! Love the earrings especially. Micah’s reaction to this new character is completely understandable!
🙂 Thanks! Yep, he’s definitely crushing a little.
I think ginger used to be a UK descriptive, but these days it’s used pretty widely so I think you’re safe.
I’m a little confused by Micah’s reaction only because of this line “considerably on the thin side.” The way it’s worded makes me think ‘unhealthy’ for some reason. Maybe it’s the ‘considerably’ that does it? I’m not getting a very attractive image of this guy.
I’m gonna remove that word. I left it in because this is still a draft and I didn’t feel like editing before posting (write first, edit later!). My unnamed redhead is actually supposed to be borderline unhealthy-skinny, and there’s a reason for that. But he’s still cute, which is what Micah’s responding to.
Nice description! It’s not long but we get a good feel for the guy right off.
Your description works. I love red hair and often have to stop myself for staring at those who have it. And if Stephanie Meyers can make cold skin, hard lips, the dead, attractive to hundreds, red headed guys definitely have a shot. It’s all in how you write. 🙂 Nice excerpt and good job on taking a break from writerly stuff. 🙂
Whoo-hoo for ginger love! While I’m typically drawn to dark haired guys with blue or green eyes, gingers will always have a special spot in my heart.
I don’t blame Micah one bit for staring 😉
🙂 Yep. I think red hair is very appealing. I wanted someone with a little less “traditional” good looks this time around.