NowNovel recently posted a great post on how to describe eyes in a story. As they point out, many beginning authors over-rely on eye color to create an impression of their characters, but this is merely a first step. Instead, you can follow these tips to create a memorable description:

1. Make a characters’ eyes a source of contrast

Drawing of an eye by Marigona Toma. Source: pinterest.com/pin/390124386447098306/

As any trip to the local coffee shop will tell you, people’s appearances are often full of contrasts. The man with the big, ruddy face might have small, delicate hands. The woman with the angelic face may have a trucker’s hoarse voice. And so on. One way to describe characters’ eyes effectively is to use them to create contrast.

This can be particularly effective if the contrast is used to highlight a character’s “third dimension” – ie what makes them non-stereotypical…