Sunday, June 12, 2011

Finishing Touches.

The office is all done except for new carpet which would be great.  Sometimes, you can't have everything all at once. Like my mother used to say, "beggars can't be choosers." I was definitely a beggar needing a new office so I'll take this one any day of the week. Having my own space is awesome.

I was able to sit last night with some peace and quiet and take a long look at my WIP. There were a few things that stood out to me almost instantly. I'm sure I missed more than I found but one thing I truly missed was the description in my earlier version. I've been up in air about description. You hear so many differences of opinion. Give the reader enough to set the scene then leave them to it. Let their own imagination fill in the blanks. I agree to a point. We can take it to far in either direction, but personally, I love description. When I read something with a lot of it, I find myself getting closer to the characters quicker than when I read something with very little.

Recently, I began reading CITY OF BONES by, Cassandra Clare. It's book one in The Mortal Instruments series. WOW! The world building would not be possible if not for the incredibly descriptive writing from Clare. I'm creative to point. My imagination gets some pretty odd glances from time to time. I'm okay with that, but even with a hint of a scene, my mind could  never conjure up what Clare has created. I found that I loved the description. I don't always want the pithy little sentences that say so little. I love flowing, beautiful, and vividly crafted sentences that not only move me forward in a story but also make me love the author for her way with words. Crafting is just one of the things that sets one author away from another and I've found myself putting down books that sound so generic, vanilla. Don't get me wrong. I love vanilla. Show me some vanilla pound cake or a nice latte and I'm yours, but I prefer a little more flavor most of the time. I want to be moved by the writing not just the story. What about you? 

3 comments:

  1. I love great description, but that is an area I need improvement. I've read some great descriptive authors I'd like to change brains with for a period of time. Lol

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  2. My first drafts are always light on description, then I go back through and add it in.

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  3. It depends on the book and my mood I think. In general description = good for me.

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