A reader named Fran wrote to me this week. She said she’s been reading (and enjoying!) my books, then continued on with this question:

“The problem I’m having with Stella is … is she really a woman? She never looks in a mirror, despairs of her hair, or wonders what to wear. I have no idea what she looks like, other than the tattoos, being 5′9″, and probably very fit from all that physical labor. She makes Kinsey Millhone look downright frivolous. I find this disconcerting. So, did you purposefully omit these little female tell-tails, and for what purpose?”

A fun e-mail to receive. Now, I always love fan mail, but when I get an e-mail that proves the reader is really thinking about Stella and wondering about her creation, that’s really special. Stella’s personality was always fun to write about, as it is very different from mine, and I can completely understand where Fran is coming from. It wasn’t hard to answer Fran, as Stella’s non-femininity was something that certainly was a deliberate decision. Why? Here are a few reasons:

– First, it’s a pet peeve of mine when authors have a character look in the mirror and describe their appearance. It seems like an easy out. I mean, how often do we look in the mirror and really assess our qualities? (Well, let’s see…I’ve got shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes, which people often say look like my mother’s. The wrinkles by my eyes and mouth are clues that I like to smile, and my teeth are white and even…)
– Secondly, I like, as a reader, to be able to form my own opinions of what a character looks like in detail. I provided the basics of Stella — height, physical fitness and shape, hair color, tattoos — to give a framework, but then let the reader fill it in.
– Stella is different from the typical woman in many ways, not just in appearance — she’s terrible at relationships and avoids emotional issues at all cost, she doesn’t like decorating her house, and she doesn’t want or need much female companionship. Being a farmer is also different from the vast majority of women — and farmers — out there. (although I do know one female dairy farmer who actually used to be a model!) There are women at my church who will say, “My husband is a farmer. I, however, am a hairstylist/nurse/store manager.”

So yes, this non-feminine aspect of Stella was definitely a deliberate thing. Interestingly enough, the protagonist in my new series is also different from a lot of women. She lives out of a backpack, has a black belt in hapkido, and doesn’t wear any make-up. Perhaps this is saying something about my wish to avoid the trappings of the female world? I don’t know. Probably not.

How about the rest of you out there? If you’re a writer, how do you handle describing your characters? Do you paint the whole picture, or do you merely give hints? Does it depend what kind of thing you’re writing?

And if you’re a reader, do you want the descriptions spelled out, or would you rather fill in with your own imaginations?