Writer's Guide to Descriptive Language 2e

By Robert C. Brenner

An extensive reference listing descriptive terms and expressions used by successful authors and writers to make their words come alive. These words break writer’s block and free your efforts to create content that produces mental images in the minds of readers.

Imagine clicking over to see 277 ways to describe action, 212 ways to describe behavior, 40 ways to describe a person’s feelings, 48 ways to describe someone’s eyes, 42 ways to describe a face and multiple ways to describe a woman or a man. Or perhaps access these subjects (number of descriptions in parenthesis):

beach (246)
building (471)
city (219)
forest (57)
path (385)
road (177)
swamp (401)
town (421)
trail (464)
insects (93)
smells (122)
sounds (472)
weather (286)

Use this book to stimulate the creative side of your brain and enjoy a unique ability to make your writing interesting and memorable.

(Our content mining efforts continue as we capture more descriptive terms and expressions. Until we release another edition, all confirmed buyers who send us proof of purchase will be periodically sent complimentary addendums to this book.)

Give yourself permission to be creative. You’ll be glad you did.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert C. Brenner
• Release date: Jan 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9780929535289

Robert C. Brenner

Robert Brenner is an engineer, consultant, college professor, historical genealogist, and professional speaker with extensive experience in research and information publishing. A retired naval officer with distinguished service in both nuclear submarines and microelectronic research and development, he holds a bachelor's degree (BSEE) and two master's degrees (MSEE, MSSM). He was recognized a Very High Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) microelectronics pioneer by the DOD and served four years in R&D at TRW after a 23-year Navy career.He is the author of 56 books including Going Solar: a Homeowner’s Experience, Power Up! The Smart Guide to Home Solar Power: How to Make a Wise Solar Investment, How to Construct (and Use) the 45W Harbor Freight Solar Kit, Supernatural & Strange Happenings in the Bible, and Supernatural & Strange Happenings in the Family. In addition, he has written over 275 articles including over 50 articles for Survival Life.com and Survivorpedia.He taught computer technology and engineering subjects at the community college, university, and graduate school levels and has been a guest speaker at over 50 national conferences and symposiums. He is an avid supporter of solar technology and learns by doing. A futurist, he enjoys the challenge of research and is currently sharing his findings through his writing and public presentations. Professor Brenner can be reached at [e-mail].

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RESEARCH NOTES

Writer’s Guide to Descriptive Language

SECOND EDITION

Words that Stimulate the Creative Mind

Robert C. Brenner, MSEE, MSSM

Author’s Research Notes

Brenner Information Group

Smashwords Edition

ISBN 978-0-929535-28-9

Copyright 2022 All rights reserved. All contents and information herein are the sole property of Brenner Information Group. Reproduction, translation, or republishing of all or any part of this work is not authorized. Brief quotations of the material in this book may be used provided full prominent credit is given as follows: From Writer’s Guide to Descriptive Language by Robert C. Brenner. Published by Brenner Information Group. For larger excerpts or reprint rights, contact the publisher.

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REFERENCES FOR ENTRIES

13th Century Italian expression

AFFAIRE ROYALE by Nora Roberts

AGENT TO THE RESCUE by Lisa Childs

Article by George Fuermann in Houston Post

BACKDOOR SURVIVAL PREPPER’S GUIDE

CHANGING TIMES

Comment by Frank Norris

Comment by George Jean Nathan

Cmment by L. V. Redman

Comments by the author

Comment by William B. Robey

Comments by Anthony Thorne

Comments by W. Somerset Maugham

DEVOTED IN DEATH by J.D. Robb

FINAL TARGET by Iris Johansen

HIDEAWAY by Nora Roberts

GUIDEPOSTS Magazine Nov90

JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts

Metaphor from Christian author, Patrick Morley

OUT TO CANAAN by Jan Karon

PIRATES by John Matthews

POWER PLAYS POLITIKA by Tom Clancy and Martin Greenberg

REAP THE WIND by Iris Johansen

RED STORM RISING by Tom Clancy

SOUTHWEST MAGAZINE, Oct 2018

STRANGERS by Dean R. Koontz

SUCCESS, November 1987

THE AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS

THE CAPTAIN FROM CONNECTICUT by C.S. Forrester

THE DEVIL’S TRIANGLE by Catherine Coulter

THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck

THE MYSTERN OF THE SPIRAL BRIDGE by Franklin W. Dixon

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by Tom Clancy

THE LIVING REED by Pearl S. Buck

THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS by Allen Chapman

THE RISE OF MAGICKS by Nora Roberts

THE SANDS OF TIME by Sidney Sheldon

THE SECRET WAYS by Alstair MacLean

THE TARAHUMARA INDIANS by Marjorie Wildcraft

THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT by John Steinbeck

THE WOMAN WHO SMASHED CODES by Jason Fagone

Transliterated Chinese phrase from TV series Firefly

TOWARD MORE PICTURESQUE SPEECH - Reader’s Digest

TREASURE ISLAND by Robert Louis Stevenson

WATCHING FOR THE WIND by James G. Edinger

WHITE FANG by Jack London

THE SKY AND THE FOREST by C. S. Forester

THE WHEELS OF IF by L. Sprague de Camp

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION

PERSON

GENDER

FEMALE

Mother

Woman

MALE

Boy

Man

Men

GENDER NOT SPECIFIED

Baby

Child

Farmer

Fruit Grower

Guest

In-Laws

Musician

Park Ranger

People

Rental Car Agent

Student

Teen

Toddler

Seamen

OTHER PERSON-RELATED

Action

Attitude

Behavior

Crowd

Feeling

Miscellaneous

Eyes

Face

Fear

Hair

Hands

Lips

Mouth

Smile

PLACE

Attic

Barber Shop

Beach

Bedroom

Boundary

Building

Abbey

Apartment

Bank

Bar

Cathedral

Church

Clinic

Cottage

Gas Station

Hotel

House

Inn

Oratory

Restaurant

Room

Saloon

Store

Temple

City

City Lot

Clearing

Country

Countryside

Desert

Driveway

Farm

Field

Foothills

Footpath

Forest

Garden

Gorge

Hall/Hallway

Harbor

Hill

Island

Jungle

Lake

Lobby

Marsh (See also SWAMP)

Mountain

Mountain Pass

Neighborhood

Ocean

Office

Path (See also ROAD, TRAIL)

River

Road (See also PATH, TRAIL)

Highway

Street

Roadside

Room

Seacoast

Seaport

Seashore

Shoreline

Sidewalk

Swamp (See also MARSH)

Town (See also CITY, VILLAGE)

Trail (See also PATH, ROAD)

Valley

Village

Woods

THING

Accolade

Advice

Aircraft

Alimony

Anchorage

Animal

Bird

Cat

Deer

Dog

Squirrel

Apple

Attack (See also Battle, Boat,

Explosion, Missile Launch,

Ship, Submarine, Tank)

Attire

Bed

Bench

Boat

Book

Bridge

Budget

Cake

Camp

Campfire

Can

Candle

Cap

Car

Carpet Sweeper

Chair

Cigarette

Clock

Clothes

Coffee

Complicated

Concept

Condition

Control

Cooking

Cushion

Debt

Dock

Dress

Dust

Earthquake

Election

Electricity

Engraving

Equipment

Explosion

Farm Field

Fence

Fire

Fish

Fishing Theory

Flowers

Food

Foundation

Fountain

Foyer

Fruit

Furniture

Garden

Ginseng

Gossip

Grass

Hat

Hatbox

History

Implode

Information

Insect

Bee

Butterfly

Cricket

Firefly

Flea

Fly

Hornet

Horsefly

Mosquito

Tick

Insects (general)

Jacket

Jeep

Jellyfish

Jet

Kitchen

Knowledge

Land

Lawn

Learn About

Leaves

Light

Marriage

Meal

Media

Memories

Memory

Mice

Missile Launch

Money

Month

July

June

October

Monsters

Monument

Music

Mutiny

Night Driving

Oil

Paintings

Plants

Police

Poltergeist

Popular

Prayer

Quiet

Raincoat

Scene

School Bus

Seawater

Season

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Seasons

Security

Shadows

Shake

Ship

Shoes

Smell

Smoke

Snake

Snow Globe

Solitude

Sound

Spoiled

Spread

Stairs

Stored

Story

Strategy

Submarine

Success

Surprise

Sweat

System

Talisman

Tank

Tea

Thick

Thought

Towel

Tires

Train

Tree

Trees

Trip

Trouble

Truck

Truck Repair

Uncertainty

Understand

Urban Sprawl

Value

Vehicle

Vines

Wall

Washing Machine

Watch

Water

Waterfall

Weather

Afternoon

Air

Breeze

Cloud

Cold

Cold Rain

Dark

Darkness

Dawn

Day

Daylight

Drought

Dry

Dusk

Dusty

Evening

Fog

Frost

Heat

Horizon

Hot

Humid

Late Afternoon

Moon

Moonlight

Morning

Night

Rain

Sky

Snow

Storm

Sun

Sunlight

Sunrise

Sunset

Sunshine

Thunder

Warm

Wind

What If

Windmill

Window

Wine

Words

Wrapped Up In

Yard

SUMMARY

ABOUT THIS AUTHOR

OTHER BOOKS

INTRODUCTION

This book is for anyone creating the written word. It’s intended for authors, teachers, reporters, researchers, law enforcement professionals, witnesses, investigators, copy writers, and you.

Good writing comes from good rewriting. And the best writing creates a mental image of what the author is trying to describe. It should involve and capture the attention of the reader.

When you read descriptions in this book; you’ll recognize even more that you can describe and you’ll get ideas how best to do this. Through this process your words will come alive in your content and in the minds of your readers. You really can create some of the finest prose that will surprise even you.

During research for this book, I avidly consumed the works of writers like Pearl S. Buck, Samuel Clements, John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemmingway, Iris Johansen, Jack London, C.S. Lewis, C. S. Forrester, Nora Roberts, J.D. Robb, Tom Clancy, W. Somerset Maugham, and Barbara Cartlin. And I searched less known authors when they had moments of creative writing like Alstair MacLean, Anthony Thorne, Dean R. Koontz, Lisa Childs, John Matthews, L. Sprague de Camp, L. V. Redman, Patrick Morley, H. C. Witwer, Hannah Rothschild, Richard Sherman, and Jan Karon. I even researched magazines like Guideposts, Success, Changing Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Daily Reckoning, and one of my favorites, The Reader s Digest with their highly successful Towards More Picturesque Speech. I also found some T’s and E’s (terms and expressions) in newspapers like The Wall Street Journal and travel magazines like Southwest Magazine.

No potential source was left out in my research. If it contained descriptions, I sought to find and record them. I was consistently on the lookout for new entries. Some of the entries were created by me spontaneously in my own flash of creativity.

For books that I had purchased, I highlighted the words in them that were descriptive. My wife asked me not to highlight in her favorite books, so I cut apart and used strips of Post-It Notes to tag Ts and Es in them. Some books that I scoured ended up having a lot of strip tags sticking out the side marking the pages. Just by looking at the book from the side, I could quickly tell how descriptive the author was.

I occasionally captured terms expressed by well-known speakers and online commentators. Every written word, every comment, every known source was scoured and the nuggets captured to create my database. As of this moment it contains almost 6,000 entries that represent the most descriptive language used by writers, speakers, and people who earn (or earned) their living with words.

The entries in this book will stimulate the creative side of your brain and give you a unique ability to make your own writing interesting and memorable. It’s worked for me. It can work for you.

Imagine clicking over to read 277 ways to describe action, 212 ways to describe the behavior of people, 40 ways to ‘describe a person’s feelings, 48 ways to describe someone’s eyes, 42 ways to describe a face, 37 ways to describe a man, or 45 ways to describe a woman.

Here’s the number of ways you can describe:

beach 246

building 471

city 219

forest 57

path 385

road 177

swamp 401

town 421

trail 464,

insects 93

smells 122

sounds 472

weather 286

These and much more are waiting for you in this Second Edition of Writer’s Guide to Descriptive Language.

On following pages you’ll find descriptive text found during hours of research. At the end of this book I’ve listed the sources that were searched for descriptive language. Today, our research continues, and free addendums will be released periodically to buyers who have registered their email with us until we produce another complete update. The following should stimulate your mind to create even better content. Go for it!

(BACK)

PERSON

Words, Phrases, and Expressions that Describe

GENDER

FEMALE

Mother

MOTHER: Ma called them back, held up their faces with a hand under each chin, and looked into their nostrils, pulled their ears and looked inside, and sent them … to wash their hands once more. (from THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck)

MOTHER: One mother claims she suffers from a low-grade infection. Every time she sees her son’s report card, she gets sick. (from TOWARD MORE PICTURESQUE SPEECH)

Woman

WOMAN: ... with her rather impressive bottom covered by the eye-popping garden of red poppies rioting over her dress. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: … was middle-aged, her red hair peppered with gray. (from FINAL TARGET by Iris Johansen)

WOMAN: ANGRY: [her] face was flushed, the blue eyes cold and angry. (from THE SECRET WAYS by Alstair MacLean)

WOMAN: BULLY: She was a dreadnought of a woman looking for someone to sink. (from Readers Digest TOWARD MORE PICTURESQUE SPEECH)

WOMAN: By herself she was a social commotion. (from Readers Digest TOWARD MORE PICTURESQUE SPEECH)

WOMAN: COMPLAIN: ... acted like a woman going through life consistently demanding to see the manager. (from Readers Digest TOWARD MORE PICTURESQUE SPEECH)

WOMAN: CONTROL: I hoped I’d have more control, but it was like being sucked into a tornado. (from FINAL TARGET by Iris Johansen)

WOMAN: CRYING: ... she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. (from THE LIVING REED by Pearl S. Buck)

WOMAN: HAIR: Mutiny ripe in her eyes, she jammed pins back into her falling hair violently enough to drill them into her scalp. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: He thought he could detect in her manner some slight wish, or longing, or perhaps only the inclination of desire in a woman who knows her youth is nearly gone. (from THE LIVING REED by Pearl S. Buck)

WOMAN: Her face was her chaperon.

WOMAN: HOUSE: It’s my house, she muttered. And a woman’s house reflects the woman. I don’t care what millennium we’re in, it just does. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: INEVITABLE: She thought wearily. What difference did it make? The dominoes were falling and she couldn’t stop them by pretending they didn’t exist. (from FINAL TARGET by Iris Johansen)

WOMAN: Lady Gwen was seen more than once, standing high over the sea, with the wind blowing her pale hair behind her like the mane of a wild horse and her cloak billowing, white as the moon overhead. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: PUSHY: She could’ve gotten herself killed. She’s like a torpedo heading straight for a target and not realizing she’ll be blown up too. (from FINAL TARGET by Iris Johansen)

WOMAN: She continued her routine--her classes, her studies, her appointments--without a hitch, even while shuffling in the lawyers and neatly filing the paperwork that symbolizes the end of a union. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: She had a silly straw hat perched on her head to shade her eyes. Glasses with black wire rims were perched on her nose. A brilliant blue butterfly danced over her left shoulder as if reading the words that popped up on the computer screen. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: She had brilliant red hair and the wide-hipped, sturdy frame that Jude would imagine in a woman required to carry and birth five children. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: she lived happily here, with her memories and her flowers. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: She longed to see the wonderful old buildings, the countryside, the hills, and the cliffs, to breathe air where her ancestors were born. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: She looked fresh and pretty as a dewdrop. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: She made a pretty sight, kneeling by her flower blossoms, singing quietly with her foolish straw hat tipped over her face and a puppy curled sleeping on the path behind her. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: She popped out of the car, ample breasts and hips plugged onto short legs and tiny feet. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: She put him in mind of a young mare not quite sure of her legs. One who shied at the approach of a man even as she hoped for a nice, gentle stroke. It was an appealing combination, that hesitant manner with the clever mind and educated voice. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: She stirred his blood with those big sea goddess eyes and sternly bound hair. He liked her vice, the preciseness of it that seemed so intriguingly at odds with her shyness. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts

WOMAN: She stored her money away like a squirrel its nuts. When she had enough to content her, she’d be off. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: She took a pin from the knot of her hair and caught into it a golden chrysanthemum and then put the pin into her dark hair again and the flower glowed there like a jewel against the pale cream of her nape. (from THE LIVING REED by Pearl S. Buck)

WOMAN: She tried to imagine herself slithering into leather and hopping on the back of a motorcycle behind some burly, tattooed biker named Zero. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: She wanted to linger there in the pretty garden with the view of the green fields and the shadowy mountains and wild cliffs. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: She was a sturdy-looking woman, no taller than her daughter but certainly wider. Her hair was only slightly less brilliant than her daughter’s but white a bit tidier. She had a plump, pretty face with an easy smile and friendly green eyes that beamed welcome even before she held out her hand.

WOMAN: She was quite small and her short, curly blond hair and luminous complexion made her look much younger than her thirty-two years. But there was intelligence in those brown eyes and an incisive boldness in her manner that definitely was not childlike. (from FINAL TARGET by Iris Johansen)

WOMAN: She was slight and as delicate as a dry point etching. (from Readers Digest TOWARD MORE PICTURESQUE SPEECH)

WOMAN: SITTING: She sat down and her bottom spread over the sofa like a ripe Brie. (from THE IMPROBABILITY OF LOVE by Hannah Rothschild)

WOMAN: SKIN: Her skin was dead pale, a combination of anxiety and fatigue. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: STUDYING: she was absorbing everything around her that she could see or hear. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: The face that beamed out from under a dung-brown cap was definitely female. She had eyes as green as the wet hills surrounding them. Her skin was luminous with rich red hair tumbling out of the cap. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: The old mischief and gaiety glinted irrepressible in her eyes and smiles. (from THE LIVING REED by Pearl S. Buck)

WOMAN: The Queen was not taller than most women, but she held her head regally. Her features were perfect and in proportion, the nose straight, the cheekbones high, the mouth delicate and yet full, the chin round, the neck slender, her eyes large and black, their gaze direct and fearless. Her skin was white as cream; her cheeks were pink as a young girl’s, and her lips were red. It was a high, proud beauty, willful and passionate, a sort that demanded a man’s service rather than won his heart. (from THE LIVING REED by Pearl S. Buck)

WOMAN: The woman wore white and had pale, pale hair that tumbled in lush waves over her shoulders and breasts. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: The young maid had a face fair as a dream with white skin, clear as milk and hair black as midnight. Her eyes were blue as a lake, and she had a loveliness in her kind manner. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: There was a maid known as ... She was of humble birth but a lady in her heart and in her manner. She had hair as pale as winter sunlight, and eyes as green as moss. Her beauty was known throughout the land, and though she carried herself with pride, for she had a slim and pleasing form she was a modest maid who, as her blessed mother had died in the birthing of her, kept the cottage tidy for her aging father. She did as she was bid and what was expected and was never heard to complain. Though she was seen, from time to time, walking on the cliffs of an evening and staring out over the sea as if she wished to grow wings and fly. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: wanted to make her smile, to watch her lips curve slow and shy and her dimples come to life. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

WOMAN: WEARY: She wearily rubbed her temple. (from FINAL TARGET by Iris Johansen)

MALE

BOY: He had worked like a horse all the school season and felt if he was required to do more, he’d be only skin and bone. (from THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS by Allen Chapman)

BOY: He was tall, and well built, of rather dark complexion and frank, with merry eyes that always looked straight at you. He was good in his studies and a leader in athletic sports among boys of his own age. He had a firm, decided character, and was always at his best in an emergency that demanded cool thinking and quick action. (from THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS by Allen Chapman)

BOY: If Marconi is the father of wireless, this boy is a good healthy relative. (from THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS by Allen Chapman)

BOY: The boy carrying the bag of nuts groaned and complained about the weight until; his friend said, You’d be kicking like a steer if you didn’t have to carry, and now you’re sore because you have enough to last all winter. (from THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS by Allen Chapman)

BOY: The boy raced out of the school building, and bounded down the steps three at a time, his books slung over his shoulder. (from THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS by Allen Chapman)

BOY: The happy boy threw his cap into the air, catching is deftly as it came down. (from THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS by Allen Chapman)

BOY: The teenage boy was fat, red-faced and good natured, with a special partiality for the good things of life. His nickname was Doughnuts and he did his best to deserve the name. (from THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS by Allen Chapman)

BOY: The boy was straight and slim and tall for his years. He had the clear white skin, the leaf-brown eyes, the brown hair of his people, different from the darker Japanese. (from THE LIVING REED by Pearl S. Buck)

BOY: The boy took the brush and colored inks and painted a picture revealing his hidden thoughts and feelings. (from THE LIVING REED by Pearl S. Buck)

MAN: ... with his thick, rich hair ruffled by the breeze, his eyes a clear, wild blue, standing at the gate with the distant cliffs at his back. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

MAN: … heart jumped as he saw the shadowy figure in the darkness behind him. (from FINAL TARGET by Iris Johansen)

MAN: a handsome man with an air of carefully stored and refrigerated youth. (from Readers Digest TOWARD MORE PICTURESQUE SPEECH)

MAN: APPEARANCE: The man looked as though he’d stepped out of a movie set--some film about ancient Celtic knights saving kingdoms and damsels. He had a loose and lanky build that went well with the worn jeans and dark sweater. His hair was black as night and wove its way over the collar of the sweater. His eyes a dreamy lake blue sparkled with humor. His mouth was full and strong and sensual, and his nose was just crooked enough to spare him from the burden of perfection.

MAN: He had a handsome face, young and smooth. He wore his black hair long, nearly to his shoulders. His mouth tipped up at the corners in a friendly fashion. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

MAN: He had fewer wrinkles than a grape. (from Readers Digest TOWARD MORE PICTURESQUE SPEECH)

MAN: He had the rawboned face of the Celts, with the wild good looks that the fine genes of his parents had blended, with a long, straight nose, a mouth full and shamelessly sensual, a tough, take-a-punch chin with just a hint of a cleft. He was built like a brawler--wide of shoulder, long of arm, and narrow of hip. And indeed, he had spent a good portion of his youth planting his fists in faces or taking them in his own. As much, he wasn’t ashamed to admit, for the fun of it as for temper. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

MAN: He looked as homeless as a poker chip. (from Readers Digest TOWARD MORE PICTURESQUE SPEECH)

MAN: He slid his hands into his pockets as the wind whirled around him. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

MAN: he was standing in the rain, his hair gleaming with it, his smile warm as summer and just as lazy. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

MAN: He was tall and he wore a black coat and trousers, and on his face he grew a thick sandy beard.. He was indeed a fearful sight, for above the unnatural color of the beard he had strange blue eyes and short hair. His eyebrows were bushy, and thin hair glinted even on his hands. (from THE LIVING REED by Pearl S. Buck)

MAN: He was tall and straight, with dark hair waving to his shoulders and eyes as blue as Bluebells. His voice was like music in her head and set her heart to dancing. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

MAN: He was the black sheep of a greyish family. (from Readers Digest TOWARD MORE PICTURESQUE SPEECH)

MAN: His hair was a deep, rich chestnut, and the sunlight teased out the red in it. His eyes were dark and brilliant blue. He smiled slow and easy and there was just the slightest of cleft in his chin. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

MAN: MUSTACHE: He had a mustache like the shadow of a coming event. (from Readers Digest TOWARD MORE PICTURESQUE SPEECH)

MAN: PRISON: … had a lot of time to think while in prison. It was like being in a cocoon and turning into a butterfly. (from FINAL TARGET by Iris Johansen)

MAN: The driver popped out of the car. He looked trim and tiny with scarred, muddy boots, a filthy jacket, and worn work pants. (from JEWELS OF THE SUN by Nora Roberts)

MAN: The wrinkles in the withered face of the old man turned upward in smiles and a small gray beard trembled on his chin. (from THE LIVING REED by Pearl S. Buck)

MAN: A few yards away stood a man, short and stocky and of a swarthy complexion. A bandana handkerchief was wound around his head, and earrings dangled from his ears. (from THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS by Allen Chapman)

MAN: A man came out of a side room, and at a glance, I was sure he must be Long John. His left leg was cut off close by the hip, and under the left shoulder he carried a crutch, which he managed with wonderful dexterity, hopping about upon it like a bird. He was very tall and strong, with a face as big as a ham—plain and pale, but intelligent and smiling. Indeed, he seemed in the most cheerful spirits, whistling as he moved about among the tables with a merry word or a slap on the shoulder for the more favored of his guests. (from TREASURE ISLAND by Robert Louis Stevenson)

MAN: He hung about just inside the doorway, peering round the corner like a cat waiting for a mouse. (from TREASURE ISLAND by Robert Louis Stevenson)

MAN: He saw someone drawing slowly near along the road. He was plainly blind, for he tapped before him with a stick, and wore a great green shade over his eyes and nose; and he was hunched, as if with age or weakness, and wore a huge old tattered sea-cloak with a hood, that made him appear positively deformed. He never saw in his life a more dreadful-looking figure. (from TREASURE ISLAND by Robert Louis Stevenson)

MAN: He was a giant of a fellow, tall, dark and heavy-browed. (from THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS by Allen Chapman)

MAN: He was a tall man, over six feet, and broad in proportion, and he had a bluff, rough-and-ready face, all roughened and reddened and lined in his long travels. His eyebrows were very black, and moved readily, and this gave him a look of some temper, not bad, you would say, but quick and high. (from TREASURE ISLAND by Robert