Sharing is caring!

I got an email this morning that left me puzzled and thinking. It was quite long, but the gist of it was I didn’t include enough detail in my writing. The author was even kind enough to add some examples. I thought I’d share a couple with you. The author wrote, “You need to describe what a character is wearing more often.” I can quickly think of times when a description of what a character is wearing might be relevant, but then I think of the other rule – if it doesn’t advance the story in some way, throw it out. If I described a character getting up and getting dressed every morning detailing every item of clothing they put on, you would get bored. On the other hand, if a character who is sloppy in his or her dressing style and suddenly puts a great deal of effort into dressing for the day, you know what’s coming up is essential to that character. I’m sure you can think of many more reasons when what a character is wearing would be significant.

Another comment the author of the email had was I wasn’t descriptive enough in my dialogue. What they were saying was I should add more than “Joe said” or “Jane said.” Those tags are used in a long session of dialogue to help the reader understand who is speaking because it’s easy to lose track of the speaker. They are also used when there is a group of people talking, so the reader is sure who is speaking. The author suggested I should use a descriptor with each, “Joe said.” Here’s what the email author suggested, “Joe said quietly.” They were suggesting that every piece of dialogue had to be punctuated by a descriptive word or phrase. Once again, I thought of the other rule. In our regular interactions, we are not frustrated or angry or a dozen other things. We are merely holding a discussion. On the other hand, when it’s essential, we understand the speaker totally, descriptors can be very useful. For example, “How in the hell do I know?” Joe snapped. You instantly know Joe is unhappy with the question that was just asked of him.

I appreciated the suggestions from the email author this morning. It made me think about my craft. My early efforts at novel writing often went over 100,000 words! The rule stating, “If it doesn’t advance the story, throw it out” was something I learned the hard way. That 100,000-word novel shrunk to 75,000 words and what’s much better for it. That is the reason that I appreciate the efforts of the email author. It forces me to think. I could blather on as I write with the word count piling up, but in my editing, I often find I am reducing the word count. There are times when I will eliminate a whole scene because it doesn’t advance the story. Well, this is a bit of my writing philosophy. I hope I didn’t bore you.