I have a tendency to neglect a lot of senses in my detail writing. That's not to say I do a lot of detail writing—I've even been described as "minimalist" (although not in an insulting way)—but it seems like I really have a tendency to leave out things that aren't seen.
I've read a lot of warnings to this tune in writing blogs, so I don't think it's a unique problem. The vocab most people seem to get in English class is "imagery," which (surprise) concerns detailed images. I've heard alternate definitions where it's expanded to include more sensations, and, while I don't think this is particularly wrong, it doesn't quite fit the word.
In whatever case, I don't think I include enough senses in my stories. I already have a "detail edit" planned for The Long and Winding Road (which I increasingly believe is going to be retitled Along the Winding Road) because, even when I set a goal to include more imagery/soundery/smellery/what have you, I don't do it. I get too involved with writing the plot or dialogue to think about such things. When the characters are eating or, in one case so far, kissing, I'll include smells and such, but aside from that I can't be bothered with it much. I do think that it's an issue, though, thus the plan to work on it in editing.
What kind of sensory details do you put in your stories? What kind do you like to read? How much is too much, or too little?
Also, Post #150! Hooray!
If I forgot what the characters were just doing, it's too much. Otherwise, I think it'd be cool to have the sensory be about the things that they notice. Maybe thinking of it as a way to characterize would help (like, a dog girl would get lots of smell imagery, or a chef notices tastes in the air, or a craftsman notices textures).
ReplyDeleteMim
That's a good rule of thumb.
Delete(At first I thought you just meant a girl who likes dogs. Derp.) Good point, though.
I do think you could afford to put a bit more imagery in your stories - at times, I find it somewhat hard to envision scenarios or appearances because of the lack of detail - but there's no need for you to go overboard (like a certain someone...) or dramatically change your writing style, either. I'd say, put in a bit more, but - like the previous commenter said - not too much that it interferes with what the characters are doing. You don't need to describe all four senses in every (or really any, unless it's a very sense-y scene) scenario, either - a brief description of the vast prairie and the oppressive feel of the sunlight would be enough for, say, one of the walking scenes. I do think that writing in the minimalist style is your strong suit, though - I really liked how that one reviewer described it as such, because it's totally accurate - but maybe a little bit less minimal would go a long way.
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