Describing people, the characteristics of situations etc

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Do you have a hard time describing people and non-material characteristics of situations (e.g. 'tense atmosphere')?

Or can you do it easily?

Or is your ability of description average?

I found that it's almost impossible for me to identify and describe such things. I cannot even name 1 characteristic or trait. Epic fail.

In social interaction, I easily know when a pattern of behaviour is broken. I notice that something is amiss.

* But I cannot, however, identify what is amiss.

* I also cannot describe a person I've known for years.

* Neither can I describe much more than I saw/heard/etc. or thought in a situation I experienced.

Has this to do with ASDs?

It could be langauge but: I have no such problems making all this up. Creating atmosphere in a short-story, forming a character with depth. If it's my idea, I can easily make it up and describe it with words.

But if it's real, I'm incapable to do the same.

Interesting. I tend to do ok, but then I read waay too much, and I also try to write, which is a way of putting down in front of you descriptions of people and events.

It's been a help for me, at least. Next time you want to do something like that, then look at the words in detail. You might be able to apply it to your own life. Just a thought...

I can describe my friends!

Friend X - big guy who laughs a lot. Enjoys having at least one person to hang out with most of the time, can enjoy most games, makes up lies for conversation (I didn't know this for years, actually), and can be generally agreeable. He lacks regular hygiene habits, lacks an acceptable sleeping schedule, and lacks an acceptable diet. He can be very creative when it comes to gaming. He lacks confidence, and is typically a follower in groups.

Friend Y - Intelligent and creative. Enjoys annoying others. Typically responds very little to your own interests in conversation, although he does pay attention to them. Helpful and willing to assist you with large tasks. Likes music. Searches for new music often, occasionally makes music. Highly opinionated. Highly competitive (explosively competitive!). Dislikes to admit mistake. Dislikes chance. Very analytical. Mathematically oriented. Likes to take lead.


I know my friends! My problem with describing people however, is describing how they look. I've always been baffled how people can describe physical traits of a face, and how others can get a similar sketch from those descriptions. I've done a fair share of reading, and reading descriptions of people usually doesn't paint an image of them for me.

Yes, real people are not real to me. I can write better.

The traits we read from people, like Fo-Rum points out, the operating system but not the image.

My written characters are a whole, they have a fairly full description of look, traits, their active self, and what they tend to ignor. For them I have motive, which seems lacking in people I know.

Like pakled, I read what is not there, perhaps possible, but not active.

I have just figured that I do not have one to one emotions, some say I show none, some think I over act.

Perhaps if we open an acting school, teach people to be themselves. I feel I am dealing with ghosts in real life, and life in good fiction.

While I can produce a being in print, a total character that is consistant, I never say anything about faces.

I go with Donna Williams, I miss faces, but see souls.

I can describe things well, fictional and real.

You know some musicians compose songs in their head? Well, I write in my head. When I'm sat on the bus, I'll already be mentally writing the day's diary entry, an email to my friend, or a great story idea I had. Then when I get home I'll write it all down.

So if I see something amazing, I don't just SEE it, I describe it in my head, so I can write it down later and remember exactly how it felt to be there.