The Character Project

bronze
chestnut
chocolate
cinnamon
cocoa
coffee
copper
dusty-brown
earthen
fawn
liver-brown
mousy
ochre
russet
rust-brown
sepia
sorrel
tan
tawny
tea-brown
terra-cotta
umber

auburn
blush
brass
brick
burgundy
carmine
copper
dahlia
flame-red
flaming
florid
foxy
golden
ruby
russet
rust-red
scarlet
sorrel
sun-burnt
wine-red

bald
braided
brittle
bushy
chopped
coarse
curly
dreadlocked
dyed
french-braided
frizzy
glossy
hairless
long
lustrous
oily
piebald
pig-tailed
plaited
receding
ringlets
ropy
shaggy
shaved
shiny
silky
sleek
slicked
soft
straight
tangled
thick
wavy
windswept
wispy

ash
charcoal
cinereal
clouded
coal-black
cool
dark
dove
dusky
ebon
ebony
ethiopic
fuliginous
grey
heather
inky
iron
jet
lead
livid
melanoid
midnight
murky
nigrescent
nocturnal
obsidian
onyx
oyster
peppery
perse
pitch-black
raven
sable
shadowy
silver
silvered
slate
slate
sloe
smoky
somber
sooty
starless
stone
stygian
swarthy
zibeline

apple
celadon
emerald
fir
forest-green
grass-green
grey-green
hunter-green
jade
leaf-green
lime-green
malachite
moss
olive
pea-green
pine-green
sage
sea-green
shamrock
teal
verdant
verdigris
vert

amber
bronze
burnt sienna
chestnut
chocolate
cinnamon
cocoa
coffee
copper
dusty
earthen
hazel
muddy
nut brown
ochre

aquamarine
azure
blue-green
blue-grey
cerulean
cobalt
glacial
ice blue
indigo
lapis-lazuli
midnight blue
ocean blue
sapphire
sky blue
teal
turquoise

Here's how to use the website!

You can explore the lists and content on the site by using the "Labels" or by using the "Descriptor Lists." The Descriptor Lists are an archive of the basic lists I have posted here, without any fluff. Searching with Labels is less specific, and will give you some other tidbit posts along with the lists, if you're looking for extra inspiration.

For instance, if I were looking to generate a quick blue eye color name for a character, I'd use the Descriptor List and click on "Eye Colors: Blue," and choose one. But if I just wanted to browse lots of different eye colors and whatnot, I'd click on "Eyes" under Labels, and see everything that's ever been written on Eyes, here!

Or, you can just do a good old-fashioned search in the upper right-hand corner.

almond-shaped
arched eyebrows
beady-eyed
bug-eyed
bushy eyebrows
caterpillar eyebrows
close-set
dark-lashed
deep-set
droopy-lidded
heavy-lidded
high-set eyebrows
hooded
lazy-eyed
light-lashed
low-set eyebrows
mismatched eyes
one-eyed
owl-eyed
owl-shaped
rheumy-eyed
saucer-eyed
slanted
slitted
squinted
straight-browed
sunken-eyed
thick-browed
thick-lashed
thin-browed
unibrow
wide-set

I am obsessed with words and fascinated by characters of all sorts - both real and imaginary. I devour novels on a regular basis and have been writing unfinished chapters from the moment I could hold a pencil.

I got tired of having to search out and refer to dozens of different sites while putting together character concepts. Inspiration is scattered all over the place. That's where the idea for this site comes in: a project in gathering inspiration all in one place, in the form of tons of names, prompts, and descriptors to help writers in the character creation process.

By no means will it ever be exhaustive. That would be impossible! But that's also part of the fun. So, let this be a wellspring of inspiration. And if you're interested in contributing to the project, please, please leave comments or get in touch with me at thewishfulpoet at gmail dot com. Can't wait!