Funfetti: Description
I view those little colorful bits of yumminess in the cupcake and frosting as the description, imagery, simile and metaphor interwoven within the story. It is possible to be overdone, and it is possible to be underdone. It's a balance that I have yet to master, but I sure do appreciate it when I read it tastefully done within a story.
Now, I don't have a lot to say about this, except I could use some help in this area. I know I write the bare bones of the story and therefore have a low word count. I then go back and try to add more description as I revise and edit, but I know I could still add a lot more. One book I found helpful in this area is Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan. But other than that resource, I need help adding more colorful elements to my story. Anyone else struggle with writing description? Anyone feel they over or under describe? Any tips or hints?
Here's to adding the perfect balance of cupcake and colorful bits to our stories!
Hi Jen! Great thoughts! You're right, description and similies can be overdone, or underdone, and I think it will just take a lot of practice to find that balance.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I do to balance out my scene descriptions, is I color code sentences involving sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. I also ensure I'm not dumping everything at the beginning of the scene, but spreading it out between the diologue. If I have a lot of color in each scene, then I know I have a good chance of getting the reader involved. :-)
Wow, great advice! I love the color coding idea, I'll have to try that. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely Jenn!!! I never knew it was called a funfetti! LOL! I always call it a cupcake with "hundreds and thousands"! My most helpful reference book is my Roget's Thesaurus! I'm always amazed how one word could have so many many many guises!
ReplyDeleteTake care
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I love that, "cupcake with hundreds and thousands!" Here's to writing a story with hundreds and thousands of great imagery and description! :)
DeleteI absolutely under-describe! I know this sounds silly and simple, but one of the things I've done that's helped is daydreaming. Before I start a new scene, and before I get to my laptop, I'll lie down, close my eyes, and let the scene play out like a movie in my head. You'll find that your mind fills in those blanks for you. If you put your friends in an imaginary room, you don't picture them naked, do you? : P You'll find yourself noticing your character's clothing, their surroundings, and how they interact with the world around them. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteI love funfetti too! And my kids adore it. And there's nothing like a ton of crunchy sprinkles on a sundae.
ReplyDeleteI also write kind of lean and add details later. My agent tells me to "add more fleas" in plenty of areas. One thing that helps me is to take each scene and play it over in my head, like a movie. What would the mc see, hear, smell, etc? That helps. But still, I always need help with this too.
My first reaction to this post is that this photo made me hungry! Then I thought about the John Grisham books I've read and how they made me feel as if I was right in the middle of each scene. A good study...!
ReplyDeleteWow, so relieved to know I'm not the only one who under describes! I love reading all your tips and advice! :)
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