I Imagine characters as words. I realize this must be a bit confusing for some people but when I try to stop my book and imagine the face of a character, I can't come up with anything. I'm not sure if other people do this but if you do I want to know! I admit the only character I've ever imagined, was Peeta in The Hunger Games. The person I imagined was so perfect for this part that when I go see the movie I will feel like its an entirely different book. No one could have played it more perfectly in my mind. Thats why its so strange, because I didn't know him at the time.BUT if anybody has the same problem with not seeing characters, please, I want to know!
Oh and P.S. This is my first time on here.

Hey! And I'm flattered that you think I'm so much like Peeta. I sometimes get a really vague idea, but where I'm really stuck and can't get a picture in my mind at all is when the author over-describes a character, especially after I'd already developed my mental image. This recently happened to me in 'The Plague' by Camus, with Rieux. I like it better when the author doesn't describe a character or just gives a couple minor important details like: 'The top row of his teeth were missing' or 'He was of an almost unimaginable height, with fiery red hair.' Then I can sort of fill in the blanks with people I have seen or just with my own imagination. But character descriptions are a place where there can be too much.

PS: Welcome! Head on down to Intros&Promos and start a thread to introduce yourself.

PSS: This isn't too big of a problem, but this post probably belongs down in General Discussion. I'll move it down there fer ya.

EDIT: I decided to move it to Character Development.

Absolutely! Overdescribing does it too. But I can't make up an entirely new face in my mind I have no clue way. But yes you are like Peeta in every single way!

Making up an entirely new face takes practice. I heard somewhere that it's actually impossible, and if you think you've done it you're actually just pulling a face from someone you've seen before, whether it be from a random crowd of people or your own mother. I don't know how true this is; I'm inclined to think that you could combine elements from people you've seen to make a new face...

And even the brainwashing? I hope I'm not like him there...

At the beginning of the novel, I try to mention at least basically what the characters look like without the description being tiring for the readers. However, I usually try to brainstorm what the characters look like before I start writing the novel.

No, not when he's brainwashed, but other than that every way.

I hardly ever form a solid picture of a character, not even for my own. So yes, the mental image I get while reading is usually pretty vague.

Actually, I'm quite good with imagining what characters look like. But do you mean you find it easier to have words that describe their personality?

Sometimes I have a clear image of a character, and I try to write so as to give my readers one, but often (especially when there are many characters with the same skin and hair color) I wind up with rather vague images. I think in the first few lines about a character of any significance, an author should give some kind of idea about what distinguishes his physical appearance. Is he tall? Does he have an especially long nose or a protruding chin? Red hair?

Also, I don't claim to speak for everyone, but I think I have clearer images if the author identifies one distinguishing feature first and foremost, something I and indelibly associate with the character; a first impression, if you will, and then gradually builds up detail. In some books I have to keep flipping back to a character's first appearance to remember what he looks like.

Yay, another person who can't see characters.

I literally have a complete edit for every book, once it's done, dedicated to adding visual detail. Because I don't see it when I'm writing, I have to imagine it all in words and it's just not enough for a world full of visual people.

Funny thing is, I work really hard to try and overcome this difficulty. I'm not a "non-visual" person in the sense of not seeing things and being comfortable with it. I hate that I can't see characters, and love it when the description is good enough that I can (although often even then the characters shift in appearance in my mind from sitting to sitting). That's one reason why I love fan art (and official art, but a lot of books don't have it, except on the cover), and also like to see the movie first.