As I revise my script, I have noticed that there are practically no adjectives. No color or descriptive words. The story is told in first person, so the character would not normally talk to the reader using descriptive words anyway.

Before I started the book, I always thought I would use a lot of color in my narrative sections, but after I started writing it, they (colorful scene descriptions) seemed wrong. When my character describes a scene, she just tells the reader what she sees in as few words as possible, and the story moves on. To me, it seems efficient and to the point, but perhaps it’s the sign of a lazy writer.

Some of you here have read the work of first book authors. What are the dangers to avoid with it comes to adding color and texture to the objects in a scene? Will, little or none work? Should there always be a little? Do most first book authors add to much or too little?

I am trying to decide whether I should leave my work as it is or go back and add more descriptive phases to the scenes.

Thanks
Azel

Hmm. Perhaps unhelpfully, I would say it really depends. If it feels wrong for your story, characters etc, then I'd be inclined to listen to that. have you posted any here for comments? Maybe that would help.

Yes, I'd agree with Jess that it depends, and it sounds as if you need an outside eye. It probably is partly your natural voice to write plainly, but there is a point beyond which plain becomes uninteresting and un-alive, and sometimes the writer isn't the best-placed judge which side of that point a piece is.

Emma

Hi Azel

From the little I know and also from working with an editor I would say that most first time writers use too much description and tend to 'over write' their sentences. You seem to have avoided that problem but as Jess has advised you probably should only add a little colour if your scenes need it. S

Azel,

three words:

UPLOAD SOME WORK!!

It is daunting at first but honestly, you'll be amazed at how much you learn from the feedback you get - you could either join a group or for starters upload a piece in the introduction forum - go on!

No pressure though...

I notice much the same about my own writing. I think sometimes you can put descriptive words in just because you feel you ought to, and then it doesn't ring true.

I'm all in favour of good plain writing with a strong voice. Less is definitely more, or at least it is in the stuff I write.

Developing the voice is quite a skill. And it's very definitely not the sign of a lazy writer to know how to convey something using fewer words rather than more. As long as you have the strong voice in a first-person narrative, I'd say that the simplicity will be effective.

[I think sometimes you can put descriptive words in just because you feel you ought to]

I think this is the way I feel. Adding descriptive words seems ‘forced’ to me when I write. I’ve read many books that had very beautiful descriptive scenes, but it does not seem to come naturally from me when I write. I can always go back and add more description. It’s probably easier to add description to a completed book, rather than cut description from the same book. I’ll ask my copy editor about it when the time comes.

Thanks
Azel

If you're having to go back and put in description, sounds to me as if you are one of those people who can write naturally without being overly-descriptive, and going back to add more might take away from the impact of your original words?

I have exactly the same dilemma!

Writing in a lot of descriptive phrases, probably depends on the book genre. I can see where a literary novel or a romance novel might require a heavy layer of description with scenes. But, I am not so sure other types of genre require it.

Our world is very fast paced now. I don’t think readers have the patience to enjoy descriptive phrases. My guess is that they want to get on with the story and get to the action as quickly as possible.

Every time I add a small descriptive paragraph, I always ask myself if it slows down the story too much. I always seem to be worried about losing my reader’s attention, so I tend to keep the story moving forward as much as possible. And in do this, I insert very little in the way of descriptive phrases or paragraphs. It makes the book word count lower.

When I go to the book store, I always notice that the paperbacks are so thick. I tend to stay from such books. The few I have read were padded so heavily with (fill in the blank with your own words) that they bored me. It is a personal conviction, but I believe books should get to the core of the story in 100k to 150k words, and cut out all that fluff.

Azel

Yup, I'm with Casey, it all depends on the work and is very difficult to make generalizations other than those you commonly find in 'how to write' books. My style is 'pared down' and I've been told to bulk up on the details, so my guess is you are making the same mistakes as I am. It is impossible to correct until a range of readers point out where you are going wrong.

Azel,

My writing (so far unpublished) has lots of echoes of what you've described,but I have to say that, unlike you maybe, I see it as a weakness in the overall quality of my writing.
Best advice I ever got on this was to read William Trevor's short stories. And despite the fact that short stories ain't my thing, I did so, and I have to say his "use of sentence" for want of a better phrase, is exceptional.
You say you don't want to slow your narrative down with a descriptive paragraph or sentence, and nor should you; Trevor though is the best example I've ever come across of a writer embedding description within his narrative - it's as if he tries as hard as possible to squeeze everything possible out of every sentence. And, very, very skillfully in my view, he seems to achieve this by using a key descriptive phrase or comment in almost every sentence, while losing nothing in terms of the pace of the narrative.

Yes, William Trevor is wonderful, and as you say, Dafydd, it's not about 'adding descriptiveness' it's about him being really present in the scene, and deciding exactly what expresses the sense of that scene best.

In fact, Azel, rather than trying to impose some kind of arbitrary, general decision to sprinkle in some handfuls of adjectives, I suggest you go back to some of your favourite authors, the ones who really get your juices going, and see what they do.

Emma

Hi Azel,

In my first draft, I had a tendency to underwrite, just doing the bare bones of where it was and then rush on to dialogue and action. When I had work read in my writing group and on here, I often got comments about how it was hard to visualise the setting.

I've now made myself increase the describtions and the work is getting clearer as a result. I'd advise you to get some fresh eyes to take a look at your work and go from there.

Personally, I tend to scan read long describtions in books, so it is a case of trying to find a balance.

Cheers,
Azjale

Azel, I don't know what's right for your writing, but in my experience adding descriptive phrases and peppering with adjectives for the sake of it has made a car crash of my writing. Right now I'm seriously wondering if it can be salvaged from the reckage, or whether I'm stuffed. I don't know, to be honest.

It seems really stupid to do something like that, doesn't it? Yet it's a beginnery, elementary mistake and easily done. After a while, natural languages rhythms get screwed, and you can fall into some very lazy writing habits without even realising it. It doesn't make for good writing craft (or art) and what's harder is to reverse it once you realise it was a mistake.

<Added>

and that's wreckage, of course. Damn sticky keys.

Azjale, we crossed in the ether. My tendency is to underwrite too, which is what led me to make the above mistakes. I've also tried overwriting and editing down, but there's a certain something that always gets lost. Anyway, I don't have the answers, except read loads, write loads, learn grammar, and find a fecking good teacher who knows language. I should be so lucky.