Writing gets easier over time when you stop giving so many damns about the things your readers don’t give a damn about either, like character appearance.
Forget about weight, height, the color of the eyes, or some family ties. In the Harry Potter books, Hermione had bushy brown hair, Ron had red hair and freckles, and Harry had untidy black hair and a scar (and his mother’s eyes, though what color, I bet you can’t remember). That’s all people needed to get going and then keep going for seven books.
Your readers don’t need more. You can certainly write more if you like, but try to be mindful about how much you do to make writing easier, versus how much readers need to get going. Psychology of reading tells us that physical appearance doesn’t stay in the reader’s memory for long. When it’s inconsequential, it falls off the newsreel so to speak.
The trick that experienced writers use is to hint at appearance through action. So not:
He had dry, bony hands.
because it won’t stay with readers for long.
(But it may be perfect for doing a brief intro of a member of your support cast that makes no more than a single appearance in your novel.)
Instead, you could go for something memorable told through action:
He had this nervous tick of rubbing his dry, bony hands together. Like a fly.
Better, isn’t it?
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