In search of blogging topics, I asked my friends for suggestions. This paraphrased question caught my eye right away:
How much detail should a writer use when describing the setting, what
the characters look like, and what the characters are doing?
The amount of detail a writer should use is of course a personal matter.
Some authors love expounding on setting and appearance, giving every
detail so that a person could--if they had to--draw an exact replica of a
room or a picture that would make a sketch artist proud. Other authors
take a minimalist approach, preferring to leave setting to the readers'
imagination. Readers' taste also varies, with some wanting to know every
detail of each place and character's appearance, others not wanting
their time wasted on that detail.
Given that readers' tastes do vary across the spectrum, an author
obviously can't please everyone. I typically suggest something in the
middle of the spectrum (though my personal taste is toward the
minimalist side). You want to set the scene but you don't want to bore
the reader or hold up the action.
When it comes to what characters look like, I suggest telling the reader
one or two telling details, something to make the character stand out
in the reader's mind. Does the character have a large mole on his cheek?
Does she walk with a limp? Does she have extremely big hair? I
wouldn't limit myself to thinking a character's description only applies
to what he or she looks like--you might have guessed that from the question about the limp. Saying the woman who came to visit
smelled like she worked in a kennel or her voice rumbled like she'd been
smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for decades will hopefully be more
memorable than simply saying she had shoulder-length brown hair and blue
eyes.
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| Now this is memorable. |
If there's something important about the character's appearance or description, make sure you get it in early too. You wouldn't want your bank robber to be described as someone who sometimes slurs her words, and not show the reader until the end of the book that this character sometimes slurs.
Of course sometimes you need to give a little more detail in order to create a smoke screen. If something about a character's appearance is an important clue (or red herring), try to weave that detail into the narrative, hiding it among other details so it doesn't appear important. For instance, if it's important that Jane has dark green eyes, don't make that the only thing you say about Jane because then that detail will stand out. Instead tell the reader that Jane has ratty brown hair that looks like it hasn't been washed for a week. Her hair is so nasty you can hardly see her dark green eyes or the scar on her forehead she got from a bar fight. The reader will hopefully focus on the scar and Jane's nasty hair, with the eye color fading into the recess of her brain.
These
same techniques can be used for setting. You want to create your world,
but you don't need to spell out every detail to do it. Are you creating
a charming town? Tell me Main Street has an old-fashioned ice cream
shop and a Mom and Pop diner that's been there for decades. Let me know
that a large green is adjacent to Main Street with some Revolutionary
War statues and large shade trees people picnic under in the summertime.
That's more than enough for me get the quaint picture you're trying to
set. I don't need the name of every store, of every statue, of every
street. But if it's an important clue that a certain statue was defaced,
don't have that be the only damage done. Bury that clue in a report of
the damage supposedly all done by the vandal. As to detail of what characters are doing, I also advocate for minimalism. If you have two characters driving and discussing the case, I don't need to know each time the driver changes gear or flips on the turn signal. If you tell me that Bob is driving, I can picture what he's doing, though an occasional mention that Bob changed lanes could work as a tag. In contrast, you definitely want to show things that are unusual--things that are important to the plot. If Bob is distracted and keeps looking at his phone or the radio or keeps checking out the rear-view mirror because he thinks they're being followed, I want to know.
There are some actions you don't need to show at all. If your character is beginning a new day, I don't need to see her brushing her teeth unless her toothpaste is poisoned or someone is going to strangle her while she's working on her incisors. I don't even need to know she brushed her teeth. Just show her arriving at her office, finding it in disarray from the burglars who struck overnight. And if your
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| When brushing teeth, less is more. |
Of course, again, everyone's mileage may vary about the amount of detail preferred. I'd love to know what you think.
