Comments on: Five Tips for Writing Description

By: dirtywhitecandy

dirtywhitecandy — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:49:29 +0000

Great points – I particularly like the way you distilled it to ‘tell us what makes the character stand out’. I always find that what I leave out of a description is every bit as important as what I put in.

By: annastan

annastan — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:00:15 +0000

Thanks Stephanie! That sounds like a really good method – I might have to give it a try.

By: Stephanie Denise Brown

Stephanie Denise Brown — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 07:03:27 +0000

These are fantastic tips! During revision, I actually record the different number of five senses I’ve got every few pages or so, just to make sure I’ve got a variety.

By: Must-Read Writing Articles 5/12/09

Must-Read Writing Articles 5/12/09 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:37:14 +0000

[...] 5 Tips for Writing Description, by Anna Staniszewski [...]

By: annastan

annastan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:44:08 +0000

Thanks PJ!

John, I love when that happens! You have such a distinct mental image of a character or a setting, but when you go back to look at the text you realize that very little of it was actually described. It’s all about creating a few distinct details that spark our imaginations and make us fill in the rest on our own.

By: John Rea-Hedrick

John Rea-Hedrick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:28:04 +0000

The stories which are the most vivid in my mind are the ones in which the author didn’t describe every detail, but left room for me to do it. Not only does too much description slow down the story, but too much of it can keep your reader from forming their own mental pictures of your world. While some measure of description is essential, especially regarding details which may be integral to the plot or setting, writers can and should trust their readers to fill in the blanks. We only need to give them a solid enough outline to color in!

I’ve often been surprised when looking back over stories I’ve particularly enjoyed how often the images I formed don’t appear in the text. THAT’s the part of storytelling which engages a reader’s imagination and makes them part of the story – when the reader get to do the work of imagining for her/himself. For instance, when I am able to bring my own mental picture of a ruined castle to the story (where every crumbled stone is not described) then the story truly becomes *my* story.

Great post Anna!

By: PJ Hoover

PJ Hoover — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:50:24 +0000

Awesome words, Anna! It’s like the thumbnail approach. Stick with what stands out the most and mention that.

By: annastan

annastan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:58:28 +0000

I’m the same way; if a book has vivid but spare description, I’m much more likely to enjoy it!

By: annastan

annastan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:57:03 +0000

Thanks Roxanne!

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:47:15 +0000

Nice and concise, just like you say description should be. Sparing but effective use of description in the opening scene is usually a good indicator that I’m going to like a book. Thanks for the post!