Monday, June 18, 2012

Description: Too Much, Not Enough or Just Right?


By Laura M. Campbell

The whole concept of proportion, proportion of description in your writing, reminds me of The Story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Cliché? Yes. On the other hand, it provides a familiar image everyone can picture no matter if you’re 16, 34 or 65. Is there too much description, not enough description, or is it just right?

When you sit down to write that story clawing to get out, it’s your job as the author to do it justice. Write the best story you can. Will it happen during the first draft? No, of course not. That’s what revisions, editing, critique groups and 2nd and 3rd drafts are for. 

For example, you can tell which stories favor heavy description. They’re the ones that describe the hell out of something creating a very concrete image. Unfortunately, the interaction with the reader falls flat. They don’t have to include their own imagination because the story doesn’t leave room for it.  It’s still a great story, but it can make it hard for the reader to really connect.

Some stories are so sparse with description that the reader spends more time trying to conjure up an image to help picture the scene they’re reading that they fall out of the narrative. The reader can easily put the novel down and do something else, like read someone else's novel.

Then there are those stories that balance the proportion of description. It’s just enough to trigger your memories or imagination so you can connect and feel like you’re part of the reading experience.

The latter is the hardest of them all to master. I’m all over the place. One minute I’m in a scene typing everything I can see in my head to the very last detail. Then my critique group reads it, and they feel a bit overwhelmed. On my next draft, I hold back on the description so much that my critique group can’t get into the scene. 

Hair pulling commences and possibly a tantrum. I just keep telling myself to sit down to write everyday and keep in mind that I’m not going to find the perfect balance without trying everything first.

So, on your 1st or 2nd draft how do you handle description: too much, not enough or just right?

10 comments:

  1. I actually like to read varying amounts of description - from the baroque (Angela Carter) to the somewhat sparse (Hunger Games.) But when I write, I under describe. I think it's because I really don't like REALLY heavy description in what I read. I like for there to be room for me to insert myself - which means I don't need to know that the boy's eyes were green like moss or his hear was blue-black and curly - unless there's a reason to know it (he looks like someone famous or he's a fairy, or he's so attractive women kill themselves over him.) A lot of times description is just filler, I find, and it slows the action down.
    Having said that, in my writing group, I have been told I need more description to anchor the scenes, so take what I say with a metric ton of salt ;)

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    1. I totally agree. I need just enough description to engage my imagination. Then it takes it from there creating the scenes and images in my head. Description is important to ground a scene, but once the reader knows where, when and whom, you can usually back off and focus on the action. Thanks for the comment!

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  2. I think the right amount depends entirely on your POV character. Write the details that he/she/it notices, ignore the rest. If you're writing in omniscient third person - just remember that the omniscient third person narrator is as much a character in your story as any other character, and that narrator's personality is what gives flavor to the tale.

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    1. What an excellent point. It really is about the narrator, whether it's first person or third person. What they see and how it moves the narrative forward. One of my favorites is the unreliable narrator, but that's a whole other conversation. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Eeps! Great post.

    I function under the less is more umbrella--to my own detriment at times. On the occasion when I do come up with some meaty prose I always feel like I'm overwhelming my readers. Oddly, those are my crit partner's favorite passages. I wish I felt comfortable doing this or that it was innate but it's not. I always have to work at putting those scenes in there. They work and they're needed, but they don't come naturally.

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    1. The same goes for me. I tend to write less because I'm trying to get the scene in my head on paper before it dissipates. I love my crit group for what they do for my writing. They encourage me to push past my comfort zone to reach new heights with my writing. Sometimes we're too close to our writing to see the whole picture. Thanks for the great comment!

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  4. I'm sparse. I've had a couple people complain, but I like to keep the story moving along. Some readers have also said that my style has a flow and is page-turning, so I guess it depends on what you like.

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    1. This is so true. At first we write our story for ourselves. Then we write it for our audience. It all depends on what your readers enjoy. I admit I prefer less than more. Heavy description often feels like I'm covered in mud. It takes a while to get it off, then I forget what was happening before I got stuck. Sometimes you just need to go with your gut and make the executive decision regarding how much description to include in your story. Thanks for the insightful comment!

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  5. David is right - it depends on what you like. What I enjoy about fiction is a description of what it's like to live in another time and place. I also read nonfiction on this topic. I especially like scientific or technological details, and those things can't be described in the middle of an action scene. I have a blog post about this,
    http://haloupek.posterous.com/information-dump

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    1. The information dump can turn anyone off, I agree. But well placed description can set a story afire inside the readers' mind. It's encouraging to know that regardless of how you handle description in your own writing, there is always someone who will enjoy reading it. Thanks for stopping by!

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