Or a serial killer with a fetish.īandage, bracelet, brass knuckles, carpal-tunnel brace, class ring, driving gloves, elastic on the wrist, engagement ring, evening gloves, finger cot, finger splint, fishnet gloves, fitness band, flour, friendship ring, garden gloves, gauntlets, hand cream, hand sanitizer, heart-rate monitor, lint, Medic Alert bracelet, mittens, mole Sugar- or flour-coated hands could be clues that a protagonist is a baker.Or someone learning to control heart rate and pulse in order to beat a lie detector. A heart-rate monitor or fitness band would be appropriate for a jogger.Or a husband trying to remember items on a grocery list. A string tied around the finger could show a senior with memory problems.Paint, palm, pare, peel, place, play, point (at, toward), poke, prod, pray, press, pull, punch, put, raise, rest, rub, rummage, salute, scour, scrape, scratch, scrub, shake, shove, sign (sign language), slap, slick, slide, smear, smooth, stretch, strike, stroke, swab, swipe, tag, tap, tat, tear, tense, tighten, touch, tug, twine, unfurl, unlock, wash, wave, weave, wipe Do any of these verbs match your characters?īrush (against), caress, claw (at), clench, close, clutch, crochet, cup, curl, drop, entwine, extend, fiddle with, finger, flap, flex, fold, form fists, fumble, furl, gesticulate, gesture, grab, grasp, grip, hold, knead, knit, knuckle, iron, jab (at), lace, leaf, lock, loosen, massage, open Hands gesture during conversations, form fists when a person is angry, massage when they console. Painted, pale, plastic, pointed, polished, ragged, ridged, rimmed, rounded, scrubbed, shaped, shapely, sharp, shiny, short, smooth, soft, splintered, split, stained, stiletto, thin, tiny, torn, tough, trimmed, unclipped, unpainted, varnished, yellow Would you want delicate nails on sinewy meat hooks?Īcrylic, artificial, bitten, broken, bloody, brittle, buffed, cracked, chewed, clawed, clean, crusty, delicate, dirty, false, feline, fissured, fragile, gilt, glossy, grimy, grubby, hard, immaculate, ingrown, jagged, lacquered, long, manicured, multicolored Do a doctor’s nails break through rubber gloves in the middle of surgery? Lances or forceps could fit the situation.A jealous ex-girlfriend might have witch hooks or tentacles.If your character is an evil assassin, you might want to describe his fingernails as daggers or stabbers.How are your character’s nails shaped? Would any of the following apply?Īlmond, angular, arched, arrowhead, ballerina, blunt, concave, convex, curved, edge, fan-shaped, flared, flat, lipstick-shaped, mountain-peak, narros, oval, rounded, spoon-shaped, square, squared-oval (sqoval), stilettoīarbs, bayonets, blades, claws, cutlasses, daggers, fishhooks, forceps, grapnels, hooks, lances, meat hooks, needles, nippers, pincers, quills, spikes, spines, stabbers, talons, tentacles, witch hooks A Goth might choose black polish that matches his hair and clothing. Males, especially younger males, wear nail polish nowadays.A bride could flourish nails painted with blossoms that match her bouquet.The choice of color often tells more about a character than several sentences of backstory. A protagonist might wear vibrant colors or pastel pinks.Give them only what they need to drive your story.įingernails are frequently the first thing people notice about hands. Place it on the finger of an old lady with age-spotted hands, who grips her cane as she hobbles toward a bridal shop, and you create an intriguing scenario.ĭon’t bore your readers. Readers won’t remember that your protagonist is wearing a beige sweater with tan slacks, brown leather shoes, opal earrings, and an engagement ring.Īh, an engagement ring. If something about a character’s hands is important to reveal occupation, personality, or circumstances, take advantage of it. Perhaps a firefighter who’s a closet arsonist? Chewed fingernails might be the result of nervousness or insecurity.Give a woman muscular hands, and readers might see an aggressive Type A personality.Muscular hands could be a sign of someone who performs manual labor or participates in weightlifting.Large spots and blotches will appear on aging skin.Plot twist: Maybe the character is a maintenance man who pretends he’s a surgeon. Cracked hands could be an indicator of a blue-collar worker or a surgeon who scrubs in several times daily.Manicured nails signal affluence or vanity.The way people take care of them is a partial reflection of personality and lifestyle. Why Should Writers Call Readers’ Attention to Hands? (Discover even more words in The Writer’s Body Lexicon.)
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