You’ve seen it too many times: the character posed in front of a mirror, examining himself or herself so that the reader will know what they look like.
For cryin’ out loud, stop it already!
Your reader doesn’t need a long introspective to introduce them to your character. What they need are two things: action and heart.
Action: Show your character doing something instead of telling about how they look. A character in action is automatically more interesting than one just standing or sitting around. Start the scene with your character in the middle of something active, something that shows the reader what sort of character they are, something that creates an immediate image for the reader.
Heart: A good character introduction also has emotion. Show your character’s internal self by the way they think and act. Give us some of their emotional turmoil up front, so that the reader knows they’re a complex character worth getting involved in.
Although most beginning writers have a hard time believing it, the reader doesn’t need to know what color the character’s hair or eyes are, how tall they are, or whether they have a dimple in their chin. Unless something is truly unusual, don’t even bother to mention it. Let the reader imagine whatever they want. They’ll be happier with that instead of a long, boring mirror scene. Trust me.