How many details do
you put in your novel? Do you describe the textured walls or leave that out?
What about the tattered, stained carpets?
No reader wants to
spend page after page reading about the room, but then again, they also don’t
want to feel like they are in a white box with nothing around the characters.
Details give the
reader a sense of where the characters are. The way you describe things can
show things about the characters based on what they observe and how they
describe it.
But how much is too
much and how much is not enough?
The answer can be
found in Angry Birds. If you’ve ever played the game (or even just seen the
game), you’ll notice that the birds don’t have any wings. That would seem to be
a crucial detail that is missing. They’re birds after all!
But really, they
have slingshots. Are the wings necessary?
And that is the
answer to how much detail to add.
Put in only what
you need. If something isn’t doing work for your story, then you don’t need it.
Meaning, if the description isn’t showing the reader something important that
they need to know about the setting or showing them insight into your
character, then it isn’t doing anything for you.
In Angry Birds, the
wings aren’t needed. The birds have a slingshot to fly. Nothing changes about
the game because the birds don’t have wings. It isn’t important.
So remember with
details, put in only what you need and make sure it is doing work for your
story.
Happy writing.
Good take on details, Jessica. Too much and you're overwhelmed. Too little and you're lost.
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