Oh, I need to re-read "A Wrinkle in Time" and, as luck would have it, I recently got my copy back that had been at my parents' for years. Thanks for the reminder.
Writing/reading descriptions are one of my biggest weaknesses, so it's good to know I'm not alone. I am getting better, but there's still work to do. I doubt I'll ever enjoy reading long paragraphs of description, though, which is a shame because descriptions add so much to the overall feeling of a story.
I've noticed that older books seem to have longer/more detailed descriptions than books written more recently, but I think it's still important to give the reader something so they can have a picture in their head as they read. Definitely something I'm going to work on!
I think the reason fanfic writers (myself included) tend to skim over character descriptions (both when reading and when writing) is because we already know what the majority of the characters look like - there's usually no need to go into detail about their appearance unless it deviates from what we're used to. (Think punk!Merlin and tattoo artist!Arthur, for example.)
True! I thought about that when I realized I had provided no physical description of the OCs. I'm so used to writing fanfic that it hasn't been necessary! But now that I'm aware of that, I'll have to do a better job of providing at least a few details about a new character's appearance.
Hello, hi! So happy to be on your flist! :) I just love friending memes. & talking Merlin, which I like, and other stuff as well.
Oh, interesting topic. Generally speaking I feel like if what you're describing isn't essential to the plot, then you can go easy on painting it. Something like the characters are on a train. I don't think you really need to go into the minutiae of it. It's enough that it's jostling and maybe the carriage's not quite clean, etc. The reader will do the work fot you and imagine a train.
On the other hand, locations can be a character, and describing objects/places the way they appear look can ground you into a world that feels real. A trench in a WWI novel. A fantasy world. The Orient Express when your characters are travelling on it.
Hi! Happy to be on your flist, too! That was my first friending meme to participate in. :-)
That makes sense about when to go into a lot of detail about the location or characters and when not to bother. I was skimming through some of my previous writing today, and I actually did have more description than I remembered. I think I've not been in the habit of describing a character's physical appearance, because I write Merlin fanfic, and we all know what Colin and Bradley look like!
But yes, I love when a location is a character in the story and the writer really makes the setting feel real. I'm going to do a bit more practice in that area, because my descriptions feel very mechanical, I think. I describe how things look, but I usually forget about all the other senses! Not that every sense needs to be addressed in every setting, but... just in general, I enjoy descriptions that put me right in the middle of the action without me becoming aware that I'm reading a description of a setting. If that makes sense! :-)
I find descriptive writing extremely hard, even though I love when other people do it well! I have an OC in my ACBB too who I'm thinking of just using one of the canon villians for, because I'm so bad at actually describing new characters!
Comments 9
Writing/reading descriptions are one of my biggest weaknesses, so it's good to know I'm not alone. I am getting better, but there's still work to do. I doubt I'll ever enjoy reading long paragraphs of description, though, which is a shame because descriptions add so much to the overall feeling of a story.
Reply
Reply
I think the reason fanfic writers (myself included) tend to skim over character descriptions (both when reading and when writing) is because we already know what the majority of the characters look like - there's usually no need to go into detail about their appearance unless it deviates from what we're used to. (Think punk!Merlin and tattoo artist!Arthur, for example.)
Reply
Reply
Reply
I just love friending memes. & talking Merlin, which I like, and other stuff as well.
Oh, interesting topic. Generally speaking I feel like if what you're describing isn't essential to the plot, then you can go easy on painting it. Something like the characters are on a train. I don't think you really need to go into the minutiae of it. It's enough that it's jostling and maybe the carriage's not quite clean, etc. The reader will do the work fot you and imagine a train.
On the other hand, locations can be a character, and describing objects/places the way they appear look can ground you into a world that feels real. A trench in a WWI novel. A fantasy world. The Orient Express when your characters are travelling on it.
So basically, imo, it depends.
Reply
That makes sense about when to go into a lot of detail about the location or characters and when not to bother. I was skimming through some of my previous writing today, and I actually did have more description than I remembered. I think I've not been in the habit of describing a character's physical appearance, because I write Merlin fanfic, and we all know what Colin and Bradley look like!
But yes, I love when a location is a character in the story and the writer really makes the setting feel real. I'm going to do a bit more practice in that area, because my descriptions feel very mechanical, I think. I describe how things look, but I usually forget about all the other senses! Not that every sense needs to be addressed in every setting, but... just in general, I enjoy descriptions that put me right in the middle of the action without me becoming aware that I'm reading a description of a setting. If that makes sense! :-)
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment