This series is about mistakes I made as a new writer years ago and what I've seen as a developmental editor.
EVERY DETAIL EVEN DOWN TO THE LENT ON THE FLOOR:
When your character enters the scene, you describe everything in the space.
I've edited writing where characters would enter a room and the reader would know every detail about everything in the room. I understand this; you want readers to feel immersed in the scene. True immersion involves the character's experience with what is in the scene, not just a description.
The issue is after pages of description, the character interacts with almost nothing in the space. What is the point of a reader knowing the type of fabric draping a chair the character obviously hasn't sat in and has nothing to do with the book the character needs from the bookshelf on the other side of the room?
A second issue is how an abundance of description can slow the pace of the scene. If your character is in a hurry, the reader cares not about the color of lent on the floor, unless the hero is forced to vacuum before getting back to the quest. Employ your skills of description on what matters in the scene and how it affects your character.
EASY FIX:
Consider what is in the scene your character needs to interact with and what emotions it can draw out of your character. Don't forget the air! The smell or how it feels and how it amplifies what your character is experiencing.
ANALYZE YOUR WRITING:
1. Do you have pages and pages or paragraphs and paragraphs of description that you can chop?
2. Pick three things in the scene that your character can interact with to display emotion, add to the atmosphere of the scene, or move the story forward. Chop everything else.
Comments ()