So I'm currently working on the first chapter of a novel I'm working on and I can't decide on whether I should describe the character's appearance in one paragraph when we first meet them, or if I should gradually do it across multiple paragraphs. Thoughts?
(Also if you'd like some examples of what I'm talking about, let me know)
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So for me personally, I like to describe the basics at first (skin color, hair color, eye color, any other defining features) all at once, and then go more in-depth through the story (sense of style, any marks they maybe didn't catch at first glance like small freckles and scars, etc). It keeps the story moving and doesn't bog the reader down with an info dump and if the two characters are meant to be bonding in some way, it can help that relationship along as well with the character suddenly noticing things about the other that they hadn't before. I hope this helps!
My rule of thumb is to always include the basics upfront so you can guide a reader's imagination toward what you're picturing. The last thing you want to do is leave out a bit of detail, which you include later and then completely throw off the mental image a reader had already built for that character.
For example, if I introduce a spunky gym rat, I don't want to mention 20 pages later that they're actually an old, overweight man. Instead, I might start with a brief description like "short for her young age" that puts the reader in the right zone, but lets me change up smaller aspects later and/or as -needed (changing clothes, hairstyles, personality, etc). There are certain things that rarely, if ever, change – those are the things I try to make sure I include with every new character I introduce.
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If you're writing in first person, I'd advise against dropping a bunch of appearance stuff off the bat and instead drop it in more casually. For example, if they have a sibling, something like "we have the same thick, dark hair", "she has a few inches on me, even though she's a few years younger", or "my younger brother has blue eyes, the only one besides my mom who does" can offer a way to describe them while also giving you a roundabout way to describe your protagonist. Sprinkling in some comparisons and contrasts to other characters gives you space to describe the MC without bringing the story to a halt to do a paragraph about their looks.
For third person stuff, you have more room to work with and I honestly feel like it depends on the character? Like you don't want to spend as long describing a random side character as you do the love interest. I will admit that I do tend to indulge in fairly in-depth descriptions for some third person, but I make it work with the writing style I'm using and the story I'm working on–my fantasy stuff does this more than my realistic fiction because, generally speaking, a fantasy setting allows for more fantastical language and descriptions, and I use a more formal style. Don't drop everything about their appearance at once or describe them to the point where it brings the story to a halt, and make sure that it fits the character who we are seeing from the perspective of, if it's in 3rd person limited.
