If there's one thing I'm not, it's detail oriented. When dealing with my car keys and
anniversaries I'm as clueless as a cage fighter in Bed Bath and Beyond. You could even say I hate the small
stuff. As a writer, however, I love them
details. A good detail makes a scene or
character as real as New Jersey. A bad
one slows down the story, confuses the reader, and degrades your work. But how can we tell the difference between
the good minutiae and the bad?
A
Mundane Detail is a Good Detail
I never would have guessed this one on my own. I had to be shown this by superior
writers. I once read a scene where a
character tossed her car keys onto the counter. The reality of that moment frightened me. Why did none of my scenes pop into life like
that? I told myself that it was because
I wrote Science Fiction and Fantasy. Those kind of details just aren't found in my genre, I
thought.
I can be dense at times.
The things people do and see every day are the best
details. You only really need one, maybe
two, to make a scene count. You want me
to know something about a surfer? You
could tell me about his blond hair, bronzed skin, and glistening muscular torso
all day, and it wouldn't mean diddly. But if you tell me what kind of wax he uses on his board, all of a sudden
I know the guy.
This is true no matter what the genre. In fact, the more outlandish the thing you
are describing, the more amazingly powerful the minutiae become.
What is a description of the magnificent wings of the
dragon when compared with the vibrations of its heartbeats that you can feel
through the cave floor? How real is the
piercing gaze of the Medusa? Not
very. But if you tell me about her mood
when her hair molts you'll find you've got my attention. You want a swordsman to come to life? Tell me about what kind of leather grip he
puts on his sword.
How could I best know a golfer? What brand of clubs does he use? Does he have an idiosyncratic preference for
a 9 iron in an odd situation? By all
means, tell me about the long hair on the guitarist. You almost have to. But
tell me also about the color of his favorite pick, or the callous on his thumb
as you shake his hand.
One or two of these mundane hits should be all you
need. Our imagination will do the
rest.
A Sensory Detail is a Good Detail
Human beings have five senses, don't forget 'em. Very few things come to life like the
description of getting smacked across the side of the face with a freshly baked
blueberry muffin. If you're reading a
scene, and you find that it's too abstract, pick a sense that you missed and
throw it in there. You may be amazed by
what comes out.
A Detail
that Meets Expectations is a Good Detail
When wandering about the universe in which we inhabit, we
have become accustomed to being able to gather certain information. If this information is lacking, the realism
of the scene suffers. I for one,
couldn't give two durns about whether the main character's dog is a Border
Collie or a Pit Bull, Labrador mix. I'm
not a dog person. But a ton of people
are, so you bet your buttons that if I have to mention a dog in a story I call
up a friend of mine to ask what breed of dog they own.
I've run into this problem in my current project with
guns. In addition to guns, cars,
bicycles and musical instruments also need extra exposition. If the thing has a cult following, you better
make sure you give it its due.
Conclusion
Minutiae are wonderful for your story, but they can also
weigh your narrative down into the dark bog of the non-published. They're kind of like salt. A little makes a bland meal lovely. A lot gives you high blood pressure. Flavor as appropriate!
Now where did I leave my car keys…???
More flying blueberry muffins + more cowbell = more authentic. Got it and enjoyed the velocity of the post!
ReplyDeleteI've never thought of the mundane detail as being interesting, but you've made the point. I'm reading a historical fiction (The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet) in which the writer David Mitchell provides a plethora of arcane details, all of which leave me totally out of the picture.
ReplyDeleteThanks for an insight into writing details.
Bonnie
You want detail - look at the fabulous http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html
ReplyDelete12Good info, well presented except that I didn't smell or taste it.
ReplyDeleteHah! Good point Monet, someone should have taken a bite of that muffin at the very least!
DeleteGreat points made both entertaining and funny. Most writers know these things... but we need to be reminded. Sometimes we love the salt so much we forget to stop pouring it on!
ReplyDelete