Is it better to describe the main character's physical appearance early on in the story?

Question

I'm writing a novel, and I just realized I don't describe be main character's appearance until Chapter 3 (each chapter is 1500~2000 words long and there are 25 chapters in total).I *do* mention that the MC is 'skinny' in Chapter 1. Is that enough for the reader until he/she reaches Chapter 3?Other information that I mention in Chapter 1 and 2:- The character's gender.- The character's age (just entered college).- The character's ethnicity.- The character's nationality.The reason I didn't describe the character earlier, is that I didn't want the description to sound forced. Still, I wonder if I should try to move it to the beginning? To prevent the reader from forming a false physical image of the MC?

Answer 1

Yes, I think so. Since you are building a foundation for your story, you would want to build your main character early on. If you think about it an individual in late adolescence who is an entering college freshman would be quite concerned about her or his appearance and that would be conveyed through your writing about that person and how they move about their environment. A person might be skinny and athletically inclined or sure footed or fast walking, or skinny and a klutz, or skinny and graceful, or skinny and self-conscious about at that age. If you can link the character's physical appearance to her or his personality and weave that into the beginning of your story, you will have built a solid character for your readers to follow throughout.