Body / Build
Start with frame and proportion, then notice how the body carries a life.
01Height
towering · tall · average · compact · short · petite · lanky · ducks under doorframes · has to reach for the top shelf · a presence that makes them seem taller than they are
Height in context
stands a head above the crowd · disappears easily into it · folds themselves into small spaces · has to tip their chin up to meet someone's eyes · looks taller when angry · looks smaller when exhausted
02Frame
slight · wiry · rangy · broad-shouldered · barrel-chested · narrow-hipped · long-limbed · big-boned · fine-boned · sturdy · solid · rawboned · delicate · stocky
03Proportions
long legs and a short torso · broad shoulders tapering to the waist · a long neck · narrow wrists · a frame that looks borrowed from someone taller · arms a little too long for the sleeves · a big head on a slender body · short legs beneath a long torso · narrow shoulders and wide hips
04Musculature
Strong
corded forearms · thick through the shoulders and back · powerful thighs · laborer's muscle · swimmer's back · runner's lean muscle · compact strength
Lean
sinewy · ropy · stripped down · all tendon and bone · wiry · spare
Out of practice
muscle gone soft · a former athlete's frame · strength that hasn't been used in years · shoulders that still remember training
05Softness & weight
Soft
rounded · plush · padded · curved · comfortable · generous
Heavy
broad · thick through the middle · solid · weighty · takes up space
Gentle details
a soft belly · full cheeks · softness at the upper arms · hips that settle heavily into a chair · a body that looks made for hugging
06Physical presence
Imposing
fills the doorway · makes the chair look small · takes up space on purpose · blocks the light without trying
Slight
easy to overlook · moves through crowds without touching anyone · folds themselves small · disappears behind larger people
Graceful
every movement unforced · balanced on the balls of their feet · a dancer's carriage · turns without wasting motion
Awkward
all elbows and knees · not yet used to their own limbs · bumps into furniture · too big for the room
Powerful
quiet strength that doesn't need to announce itself · looks difficult to move · stillness with weight behind it
07Body & age or life
a laborer's back · a desk-worker's slump · an athlete's hips · a dancer's turned-out feet · strong forearms from carrying children · a body that remembers old injuries · knees that complain on stairs · shoulders shaped by years of lifting · stiffness after sitting too long · a frame softened with age
08Movement
moves with long, economical strides · takes quick compact steps · shifts weight carefully · rises from a chair with effort · moves lightly despite their size · turns the whole torso instead of only the head · bends from the knees out of habit · favors one side · stretches before standing · takes up less space when nervous
In stillness
weight settled evenly · one hip carrying most of the weight · feet planted apart · shoulders curled inward · body held very still · constantly shifting position
09Subtle details
how the shoulders carry stress · which side they favor · where the weight sits · how they fit into a chair · whether they make themselves smaller around certain people · how quickly they tire · how they stand when no one is watching · the difference between their public posture and private one
10Examples in a sentence
Frame
“He was broad through the shoulders and narrow at the waist, built like someone who still expected to lift heavy things.”
Proportion
“She was long-legged and compact through the torso, every sleeve somehow an inch too short.”
Musculature
“His strength sat quietly in his forearms and back rather than in anything showy.”
Softness
“She had a soft belly and sturdy hips that made the narrow café chair look temporary.”
Presence
“He wasn't especially tall, but somehow everyone stepped aside when he crossed the room.”
Age & life
“Years at a desk had rounded his shoulders and pushed his head slightly forward.”
Movement
“She moved lightly for someone so solidly built.”
Minimal
“The clerk was short, broad-shouldered, and sturdier than he first appeared.”
11Writing notes
- Describe the body, not a judgment. Physical size, softness, strength, and shape do not automatically reveal personality.
- Use proportion. Writers often rely only on height and weight, but shoulder width, limb length, torso length, and how someone fits into space can create a clearer image.
- Let life leave traces. Work, age, sport, injury, caregiving, illness, rest, and habit can affect how a body moves and carries itself.
- Avoid moralizing weight. Thin is not automatically disciplined, and fat is not automatically lazy, indulgent, comic, or unhealthy.
- Don't turn every strong body into a gym body. Strength can come from work, sport, genetics, caregiving, movement, or ordinary life.
- Use movement with build. A large person can move quietly, a small person can dominate a room, and an athletic person can be awkward.
- Match detail to viewpoint. Different narrators will notice different things.
- Don't inventory the whole body. One or two structural details plus movement are usually enough at introduction.
- Let the description accumulate. A protagonist's physicality can become clearer over multiple scenes instead of arriving as one paragraph.