Sometimes you're reading a story or a novel or something, and the author has included detailed descriptions of the story's location, the room or landscape or climate. You think, "A Real Writer* gives you descriptions of places in their work." Then later, when you're writing and realize you've just gone 2 or 3 pages without even mentioning if there is a window in the room, you wonder if you're doing it wrong.
But maybe instead the location isn't crucial. If the wallpaper doesn't move your story forward or add to our insight about the characters, does it really matter if it's striped? I don't think so.
* a published writer
-----------------
Don't worry - I intend to post about chapter (month) 2 of One Year to a Writing Life: Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer's Art and Craft by Susan M. Tiberghien. It is about personal essays and inspired me to write about the time in the 4th grade when I spilled spaghetti in the milk cooler. Probably Monday...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
It's a fine line, for sure. Description can really paint a good image for the reader. Too little of it makes you feel numb about a person/place. But too much description makes you want to scream, "Just get on with it already!"
When I'm reading a novel, I like the description to be brief and suggestive. I find that I tend to gloss over a section if there is too much description.
Post a Comment