Lewis' Book of Reviews and Writing Advice

Description

     Welcome dear, Ink Jars. I--professor Lewis--have returned to touch on a very intriguing subject. One that all writers must know and one that all readers (unknowingly) fall prey to. This subject is rightly titled: Description. Today we'll be discussing how much description to use, why to use it, how to use it, and how to write it.

Now, this discussion can be fought over and debated because--in the end--the amount and type of description is up to the individual writer's style. Creating your own style takes time and is difficult. REMEMBER (and I will say this time, and time again) that, when writing, we must follow the general rule of "show don't tell."

How to write description? Adding description can be simple and it can be difficult. Description is basically showing the reader what and how a situation (character, place, food, experience etc.) is. First let us assume we are describing a room. Think about what the room looks like. Now, assume we're discussing a specific restaurant--say, McDonald's. Consider how you can let the audience know that the scene is unfolding in McDonald's without simply telling them. What do you have to work with? The senses. Give your reader the irritating beeping nose, the warm, familiar smell, the woman behind the counter, etc. Now, think about a character. How can you show your reader what you're picturing? Do not simply say: her hair was blonde, but instead, describe what shade, the texture--maybe if this character's hair is curly, you could add "springy." When describing a characters eyes, don't just state "his eyes were green," but instead: "his eyes were green slits like those of an alligator." Consider the difference between these three statements:

1.) His eyes were green

2.) His green eyes sparkled jokingly

3.) His eyes were green slits like those on an alligator

Each of those sentences, gave you a completely different picture, correct? You have to really think about your character. First impressions are a lot. I have one character in my short story "Fight. Fought. Finished." named "George Winston." I wanted to give my readers a hatred and nasty picture of him. So I described him as pudgy, and selfish. I explained how you could smell alcohol in his breath. When writing this, I found myself hating him.

How much description should I use?  There IS such a thing as too much description! I ran into this issue when writing a short story recently which I was attempting write in a "classic" style. You do not want to overwhelm your readers with LOTS of useless information. Make sure that each of the descriptions you add are helpful for the readers. REMEMBER: Readers will fill in the information that you leave out. Place hints and little pieces of description every once in a while where it fits.

Why should I describe things?  This sort of fits with the last section, but consider your job as an author. You're supposed to be telling a story, transporting your reader to new land, attaching your reader to this world/characters.

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Author's Note: I hope this was helpful. If there's something which should be added, let me know. Also, if you have a certain subject that you are wondering about, message me or comment here!!! If you would like an HONEST book review, do the same. Just make sure your book fits ALL the rules given in the first chapter of this book labeled "Introduction." It DOES have to be completed. For those of you who don't know what that means: it means your book has NO more (unless there's a sequel) to add. It's: finished, concluded, done. Sorry to be snappy, but I have had some issues with that and I want to be clear so I do not have to turn anyone away (because I really hate turning people away).

                                                You're faithful writer, Lewis