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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Jul 19, 2018 1:00:36 GMT
Do you like to thoroughly paint the scenery when you write, or are you more sparse and spare with your descriptions. Are your reading preferences any different?
I get bored if there is too much description when I read, and I don't include much when I write because I can't visualize so I'm not sitting there typing out a movie I see in my head like some writers do. My brain works more with symbols and concepts than precise set direction.
I've been told by other writers that it's good if you can incorporate action into your scenery, or if you can make your story world, or set design part of the story. I know in Horror the atmosphere is super important, and that in Fantasy and Sci-Fi, the world building is really important. In Romance, it's good if the reader can see the characters in their heads, especially the one they're most attracted to.
Some writers like to go on for ten pages describing every type of candy in the candy shop. That probably isn't necessary, but some readers really enjoy that, while others are bored. Which camp do you fall under?
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Post by possiblyderanged on Jul 19, 2018 11:01:29 GMT
I fall under the camp of "just enough to set the reader into the scene". I hope I'm successful at that, but that's up to the reader. It would take more for a world the reader doesn't know, like in SF and fantasy, and less for contemporary works. I mean, we know what office buildings look like, what cars are, can recognize a dog or a monkey. Readers don't need Frank Lloyd Wright's life story, or the history of the automobile, or the genetic differences between dog breeds. So, only the basics need to be there. Horror kind of falls in the middle, so the creepy house might need more description to get the reader *there*.
So, it's too much if:
You're dragging out the narrative with descriptions about things the reader already knows.
You're interrupting an action scene to wax nostalgic over your "world", or the religious sect that is either the villain or the saint, thus throwing the reader out of the story.
You're repeating stuff for the sake of repeating it. This is a bad habit among many milSF writers, for example. Describing how communication in space isn't instant twelve times in one chapter is a bit much, eh? A few quick words about the frustration of waiting twelve minutes to learn your battle plan was received, one or twice, okay, but paragraphs about it? Every single time? Shoot me now. Long, loving descriptions that go on for five pages about some nebula we won't ever see again? Um. No.
Disclaimer: I may be a bit cranky about stuff like this. I stop reading if I get too annoyed.
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t76
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by t76 on Jul 19, 2018 11:11:48 GMT
You need description to ground the story and anchor the characters. It should be used to create a picture, heighten the tension and create the mood - too little and the story will fall flat. But too much is also a problem. Pages and pages of prose describing a candy shop would put readers off and seriously cause the story pace to slow right down. I read somewhere that when we skim read we tend to just read the dialogue - and nothing will make a reader start to skim read more than pages and pages of description with nothing happening.
The story needs to be a balance of description, dialogue and narrative. Not too much or too little of any.
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Post by grahamcrackers on Jul 20, 2018 18:24:35 GMT
Different genre, different rules.
However, and there's always a however, right?!
Description is where a lot of authors who are very impressed with themselves fall down, in my personal opinion. Some people seem to think they're very skilled by writing a one thousand word treatise on a sunset in the middle of an action scene. There should always be a purpose to description, it should add something to the story. Whether that is mood setting, character development, or foreshadowing, it doesn't matter. We don't generally describe people going to the toilet because it adds nothing to the proceedings. Unless your character is taking the pee from hell because you're foreshadowing a new UTI strain that is somehow going to turn into a mutant strain of a zombie virus, we don't need to know. Imagination is a great thing and we fill in the blanks a lot when given a bit of guidance from an author's pen.
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EllieL
Junior Member
Posts: 55
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Post by EllieL on Jul 25, 2018 4:10:43 GMT
Different genre, different rules. However, and there's always a however, right?! Description is where a lot of authors who are very impressed with themselves fall down, in my personal opinion. Some people seem to think they're very skilled by writing a one thousand word treatise on a sunset in the middle of an action scene. There should always be a purpose to description, it should add something to the story. Whether that is mood setting, character development, or foreshadowing, it doesn't matter. We don't generally describe people going to the toilet because it adds nothing to the proceedings. Unless your character is taking the pee from hell because you're foreshadowing a new UTI strain that is somehow going to turn into a mutant strain of a zombie virus, we don't need to know. Imagination is a great thing and we fill in the blanks a lot when given a bit of guidance from an author's pen. This! As a reader, I get bored with reams and reams of description. As a writer, I like enough to add the flavor, sprinkle in a little action to mix it together, and then bake it with the right amount of dialogue. At least I hope I do. |
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