Big Damn Scribblers: How much description too much? by KayleeGirl

BLUE SUN ROOM

Big Damn Scribblers: How much description too much?

POSTED BY: KAYLEEGIRL
UPDATED: Thursday, April 12, 2007 06:40
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Monday, April 9, 2007 1:50 PM

Steamer and I were having a discussion the other day on how to handle description in our fanfic, especially when adding an OC(original character) or an original setting (OS, I guess). Should there be a lot of description -- down to the small details -- or just a hint of characterization here and there? How much can we expect readers to fill in themselves if we just provide a basic outline?

Also, if there is going to be a continuing OC, should the OC be described in detail in every story for those who have not read the previous fics in which the character appeared? (I remember reading the Nancy Drew stories when I was young and in every book there was a set introductory description of Nancy, her blue roadster, her dad, her friends, and the housekeeper. Each book had a self-contained who's-who so you didn't have to read them all to understand it; the readers who were already in-the-know could skip over the setup and go straight to the heart of the story.)

Basically, we all know that too much description is bad for pacing but how little is too little?

If I'm gonna dream, I'm gonna dream big.

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Monday, April 9, 2007 2:16 PM

OATH

I try to keep description reasonable, but I do have a specific technique for it. For unimportant folks I generally do hair color, face sum-up, and build, adding in details if I like how they sound. For main OC's, I'll do an introductory descriptive paragraph for their first appearance, and then work some indirect stuff in.

Instead of straight-on description recaps, I'll just go indirect, work in enough details to give the reader a clear enough picture. I think describing canon characters is pointless, but if you want to give your own poetic spin on Mal's eyebrows or Kaylee's earlobe, go right ahead. If I lose interest, I'll skip ahead until I hit something progressive.

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ERTIA: Uh huh. We aren’t the one with the unusual fondness for the floor, are we?

PAIN: Well maybe the floor has an unusual fondness for me did ya ever think about that?

- Travel To Persephone PT2 (Life Onboard Serenity)

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Tuesday, April 10, 2007 11:32 AM

STEAMER

My two coin:

Moderate detail works well for a character, and you probably don't have to split hairs (especially not his) in your description of him right away. If he's a major character, you could describe him bit by bit as you go along - generalise his build and his appearance at first, then add more details as the story proceeds. This can work particularly well if your OC is a passenger on Serenity and we don't get to see much of his origins. But don't get too carried away: if you ladle out the description in heavy doses, you're either straying into Mary Sue territory, or you'll be suspected thereof.

On the other coin, it strikes me that OSs and OCs often pop up at the same time. In that case, you could spare the description of the character, except for some physical details (height, weight, hair, other items you'd find in your average police report), and then you can give a more detailed description of the setting to give folk an idea of what to expect from this character. In other words, you don't have to go into excruciating detail about your OC's stare, his personal gear or the slick-suited (or rough-and-tumble) manner of his garb. You can instead describe his origins in moderate detail (furnishings, displays, decorations, and the like) to give people an idea of what he's all about. Coming back to the passenger-on-Serenity example, you could use the same tactic briefly just before he comes aboard - OR, per-maybe-haps, you could wait until we get to his destination if you want to show that he isn't what your readers thought.

Food for thought, friends. In my experience, some readers like a fair share of description, so they can get a clear mental picture of what's happening: other readers like their fic with heavy plot/action and just a sprinkle of detail. Times like that, it boils down to finding the right audience, or getting to know the audience you have. Just don't try to write anything for anyone specific - I tried that once and was not pleased with what I wrote. Remember, it's ultimately your story.

If not for my
Zoe passion
I'd take you in
A manly fashion
FIREFLY

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Wednesday, April 11, 2007 4:21 PM

JAMESTHEDARK

Personally, I prefer to leave as much in the head of the reader as is humanly possible. For example, when I was creating Legacy, the ship didn't get a complete description worked up until I was pretty much done of the first season. Jacob, the main character, got two sentences of physical description in the first story. Some explain too much, I tend toward the opposite, but that works for me, I believe.
It also means that if I want to add something to their description at a later time, I don't need to worry about it clashing with something I'd already established. For example, while I said pretty much from the beginning that Syl's hair is darkish blonde, it's not until the second season that I reveal that she's always worn it in a braid, or that her hair reaches almost to her waist. I blame it on the fact that I'm both lazy and impulsive. If I find something I like, I run with it, even if common sense doesn't agree.

So, for the record, I'm in the camp of Describe Less, Imagine More. I find that there's more done to create a character by describing what he/she's doing and thinking rather than what's reflected in a mirror. Oh, and interestingly, avoid mirrors, unless you want to underdescribe by them, too. Nothing makes a MS-detector go off like the word 'mirror'. It always makes me smirk thinking of them grumbling with confusion when I bring up the m-word and then taper it by saying "he decided to not bother shaving, and went back into the hall."

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I ain't lookin' for help from on high. That's a damn long wait for a train don't come.

98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.

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Thursday, April 12, 2007 5:08 AM

MAL4PREZ

I'm of a slightly different take. I find that fanfic relies too much on what we already know of the characters, so a fic writer might consider the phrase - "Jayne said quote glumly" - to be descriptive. Hey, we all know what glum Jayne looks like, so in fanfic that can work.

Sort of. I find pages and pages of this kind of thing dull. I want more description of what his face is doing to make him look glum! (Also, I want to understand what he's thinking without the writer going into his head and telling me his thoughts outright, but that's a whole `nother can of worms.)

Yeah, so fanfic can tend to be all dialogue and minimal actions - short paragraphs, with no attention to setting a mood or using description to pace things. I can't get drawn into that. It's just not compelling.

I do agree that pages and pages of repeated descriptions is no good. It's all about using the right words, and as few of them as possible. Look at LotR: the chapter where Minas Tirith gets besieged is shockingly short, only a few pages, if I recall correctly. But that scene, in my mind, is long and drawn out and incredibly detailed. And I'm talking about before the movie was made - they REALLY drew that part out, LOL! Made it half of the third movie!

Tolkien had such a gift at making things visual with very few perfectly crafted words. He's totally my hero. (Him and Joss, of course!)

I try to use the same approach, and it takes hella lots of time of paring down and thinking up words and rearranging phrases and sentences. And I still end up with too many words! *sigh* So maybe I err on the too descriptive side. Oh well!

Anyway... If I may be so bold as to preach... a lot of fanfic would be more enjoyable (to me anyway LOL!) if writers spent more time picking the right words to describe their vision and less time coming up with more visions. The best storyline falls flat when it's described merely as action action action dialogue dialogue dialogue. What's great about the show is the characters, right? The little varaiations of their tone of voice and details of their expressions and body language. That can be put into writing, with a vivid imagination and a lot of work...

But then, I'm an evilly picky opinionated wench. We all know that by now, right?

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I'm the president. I don't need to listen.uote

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Thursday, April 12, 2007 6:40 AM

LEIASKY

>But then, I'm an evilly picky opinionated wench. We all know that by now, right?

Yes! But I love you anyway :P

There really isn't a right or a wrong answer to this question, though. Some readers don't care about a lot of description, some do. In the same vein, some people don't care about believable characterization, some do.

The only thing I really don't like is pages of just dialogue and no description.

"A government is a body of people usually notably ungoverned."

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