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question about descriptions :-)

dannYves

Dreamer
I’m new here, came across this forum as it seems to have some people "alive" :) but i do realize i should put this in the introduction section but i also had some questions so i decided to combine the two, why not? !

How do all or any of you describe the world and the characters in your stories?
Many forums usually have examples of "short" stories with almost no description nit examples of longer writing and I’m a person who "loves" describing everything, to paint a picture of my world which is usually a world i make up.
But is it boring to readers - ?
Ive read many stories of fantasy where they get into deep description of races and such .. but i have yet to find the answer by others who write fantasy stories which you need to describe in order to have the reader see this world youve created that is very different from a normal world.
I am speaking in terms of novel writing by the way..

Anyhow, just a thought ive had for a while (sorry for any typos im on a phone with a tiny screen smaller than my fingernail lol)
 

Chime85

Sage
I'm from the same ilk as yourself, in that I love descriptive writing. I agree that it is not for everyone, but to others (as we know) it can make for a very lively experience when writing about different worlds and characters.

I believe the best way to use long descriptions is to write about what is different about your world from our own. What is considered good manners at the dinner table, or why is that particular character considered good looking by their people (eg: red hair is considered a sign of beauty).

If your world and its culture, people and architects are very similar to our own, then there isn't as much room for descriptive writing than if you are setting a brand new world with completely alien cultures and races than our own. That said, there's no point in creating a world where houses are made of cheese, the people are purple and nobody has ever heard of a fork if you're not going to write about those facts and bring them forward to the reader.

It is unfortunate (or fortunate) that you cannot please everyone with a particular style of story telling, but it is up to you, as the writer, to shape that fact into your work.

x
 
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Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
I like descriptive writing, if done well (see Mervyn Peake). Otherwise, as a reader I'm happy enough to have very little description of characters. I think most readers inevitably create their own image of a character very early on, and any description that comes after that just throws them off when it conflicts with what is in their head.
 
I put in just enough description to give the mind something to latch onto, and only for characters or locations that really matter. Very occasionally something will get a lengthy description, if it's super-important to the character whose POV it's from.
 

dannYves

Dreamer
Thanks , I am trying to weed out some things in one of my stories where I believe is filled with too much description , I think I just need to allow the reader to come out with their own images. It would make it easier to consentrate on the plot too. Thanks for your comments :)
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
To me, description is about knowing what to describe, when and how to describe it, and how much to describe.

If you can find that one telling detail, you can express a lot with a little. Quality of description matters more than quantity. Now there's nothing wrong with long descriptions when used right and with purpose. But long description for description's sake is when things get boring for me.

When I write, every detail of description must have a purpose. It's in there because I'm using it to express a specific thing, whether by itself or as part of a larger whole. If it's not doing that, it gets deleted.
 

dannYves

Dreamer
To me, description is about knowing what to describe, when and how to describe it, and how much to describe.

If you can find that one telling detail, you can express a lot with a little. Quality of description matters more than quantity. Now there's nothing wrong with long descriptions when used right and with purpose. But long description for description's sake is when things get boring for me.

When I write, every detail of description must have a purpose. It's in there because I'm using it to express a specific thing, whether by itself or as part of a larger whole. If it's not doing that, it gets deleted.

Said perfectly.

I like to describe faces and body language,.. but a habit I need to break is describing clothes since a dream of mine is fashion designing and I draw a lot of females’ clothes, so it's natural for me to specifically detail a princess or a siren or alien looking creatures , even male characters , but I also realize most people who read fantasy do not give two shytes about what anyone's wearing lol.. . So this is when I need to edit..

but another thing is describing races of beings you create ..the way their face looks which differs from "human features" or maybe they have no pigmentation to their skin... these are not important to the story but describe how your characters look.. and without realizing it, oopss there goes another paragraph of nonsense (they add up) .

Another thing is the environment, is it a desert ? A forest. ..what kind of forest, is it scary, lonely, full of noises. ..describing things like this can get you hooked into another paragraph of nonsense lol.. .what I call the Edgar Allen Poe syndrome.

But I totally agree with you, I see it more and more, you have to keep the more important descriptions which "make" the story and edit out the "nonsense".
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
The things you like to describe, there's really nothing wrong with describing them. The trick is to make those things important to the story. For example, if you want to describe fashion, maybe have a thief eyeing their rich mark and describing their lavish wardrobe, or have a ball where people are dressed all fancy and colorful.

In terms of physical features and environment, you don't have to drop in a paragraph describing everything at once, just drop one detail here or there mixed in with the action. Over the course of the story, an image will begin to form in the reader's heads. For example, Elves. One paragraph mention their ears, another mention their slight frame, another their fair hair, etc. eventually the reader will piece together a full picture of what they generally look like.
 

Lorna

Inkling
I enjoy books with lots of description that draws you into and gives you a real sense of being in a different world and I try to do this in my WIP. There's two planes in my world - material and elemental- and I use alot of imagery and metaphor to highlight the differences and bring the elemental landscape to life. Most of my characters are either elementals or humans with elemental powers and I try to describe them in a way that does justice to their alterity but with the humans makes them relatable as well.
 

sinner

Dreamer
I find that I share the problem in over describing things (emotions, state of mind, facial expresions, maneurisms) but lack describing some others (scenery and other settings) when I write.

Once I began publishing in fanfiction (yeah, yeah. **insert eye roll here** I know...), I was told that I should hake time away from the part I have written for a couple of days and look at it again with a refreshed mind and new eyes.

You are describing something you see. See the image and describe it. Your mind is your inspiring subject, use your words as the pencil or brush as you paint with your description and splash it with colorful flamboyant objectives.

The reader will see it with you, I assure you.
 

T.Allen.Smith

Staff
Moderator
First things first, write the type of story you would enjoy reading yourself.

For me, I prefer minimal description generally. I give a few key details then allow the reader freedom to fill the remainder in from their experiences. I believe this method enhanced reader attachment to the characters & setting (they create some of it unconsciously as they read).

The exception to this is where the description of something is ultimately important to the story, or if I want to draw attention to an object because of its role in the story.
 
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my personal prefrence on description is it shpoud be either light enough to give a strong impression of the character but leave most details to the readers mind, or very intense.

whilst writing I personally end up going for brief because if I go much more my prose ends up positivly purple, which is good for light hearted stuff but since my current project is rather dark it s a little jarring.
 

Addison

Auror
Personally, how I describe something depends on what I'm describing. If it's a setting I appeal to the five senses and tickle the sixth. (That's how you get your readers deep into your book, make your illusion of reality more realistic.) With characters I cover the outside by something more than exposition and describe their inner self by interacting, what they do or don't do in situations, thoughts and dialogue. Describing objects I'm straight forward (long, silver and twisted like licorice) sometimes I compare it, in whole or part, to other things as I did with licorice. :)
 
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