That intellectual engagement is part of what makes for a good reading experience. And a big part of what makes it feel real are those descriptive details.Īlso, in a historical setting, it’s just plain interesting for readers to get to see how people accomplished things before technology took over everyday life. But the problem is that readers won’t engage emotionally in the story unless it feels real to them. In one case, when I called a writer’s attention to lack of description in her historical novel set in the Old West, she resisted, saying she didn’t care that much about the physical setting or what the characters were doing (how they prepared their food or their wagons, etc.)–she cared about the character interactions, the emotional part of the story. And, in fact, many novice writers do write “novels” that read more like scripts. Imagine a novel with all dialogue and no description. If there’s not enough to picture, the reader will feel like a blind person stumbling around in the dark. Part of a writer’s job is to sketch out a setting so readers can quickly and easily imagine the scene. Vivid images help to provide a sense of realism. Readers need something to picture in order to become immersed in the dream world you create for them. There are two primary purposes for descriptions in novels: (1) to provide imagery (2) to provide characterization. More typically, though, it’s quality not quantity that’s the biggest problem. How much is enough? How much is too much? In my work with fiction writers, I’ve encountered those who underdescribe and those who overdescribe.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |