I realize this is a rather broad topic that, like most others, can be answered with "as much as you want it", but, almost two chapters into my WIP, I find that, except for a few social taboos, I've included almost no world description. In this almost tribal milieu, with some early-civilization mixed in (think Meso-American), and some American Wild West for good measure, would you say that I have to describe the tavern Ethan and Kara enter, or can I say that "they entered the tavern and ordered a drink?"
And yes, I realize that there were no taverns in Meso-America.
...were there? (I'll research more extensively the next go. Right now, I just want to get the story down.)
I think I can say they entered it, and the reader will envision every dirty, worn, and smelly tavern they've ever seen or read about. If I add too much detail, and include something they don't recognize, it might jerk them out of the story and destroy the illusion.
posted
Perhaps it has to do with genre, intent, choice of POV, whether a detail advances the plot...
The example you brought up is good. Everyone has an idea in mind what a tavern is suppose to look like. Details are brought up incidentally, as the character needs them. However if the character sees something out of the norm, then it can be described.
So my opinion is instead of drowning the reader in detail, just tell them what's different.
posted
I applaud your intentions. I think descriptive minimalism is laudable.
There are a lot of ways to "sneak" description into the story, though. A lot of them can be snuck in, like Chris said, when something is unusual. Because if something is unusual, then its not unusual for your character to notice it. And the number and type of things your character finds unusual also says something about your character.
The real bonus of this technique is that you get a surprising amount of description, and it's all doing double-duty as character development. And, to the reader, it doesn't look like description at all.
[This message has been edited by J (edited January 02, 2005).]
posted
Is the POV character used to taverns? Are there things about the tavern that this POV character will notice despite being very familiar with taverns in general? Are there specific elements of the tavern's layout and decor that will affect the plot?
If the answer to all of these questions is no, then don't bother to have the character enter the tavern. If the answer to any of them is yes, say something more than "they entered the tavern and ordered a drink."
If you're Tolien, extremely detailed. If you're Hemingway, minimally detailed. If you're 99% of the rest of the writers in the world, somewhere in between.
quote:I realize this is a rather broad topic that, like most others, can be answered with "as much as you want it"
posted
While you can go with "as much as you want", you may prefer to go with as much as your audience asks for.
If you aren't sure how much you need, and are more concerned with getting the story on paper, then that is what you should probably focus on right now. Once you start sending it out for critique, readers will let you know if you have a hit or miss as far as setting goes. You can even ask critiquers to give you specific feedback on your settings. Ask them what sort images they are getting. Is the setting clear or foggy? Do they feel comfortable or confused?
Bar, tavern, pub, etc., all mean essentially the same thing, but they each conjure up different images. Sometimes it is enough to say, "So-and-so entered the tavern."
posted
I've read books with so much detail it was boring, and others that had so little I knew almost nothing about it. So how much do you need? I would think that would depend on the world you are writing in. If you are writing a story set in the present, on earth...then you can get away with very little description. If you are writing about something that is not already known to most readers, then you should have a bit more.
Exatly how much...that depends on your style. One thing you might try is paying attention to what you notice when you go somewhere. What types of things catch your attention, would those types of things be something your character would notice? Also remember that there people have more than two senses, sight and hearing. Smells, the way things feel, temperature...little additions to a story which add other senses can give vast amounts of descriptive value without adding paragraphs of bordome. If the character smells perfume, then there is most likely a woman nearby...and most likely one that is better off (depending on the society). The texture of something can have value as well.
If you want good description, describe what is important that will get across whe the reader needs to know. Does the reader need to know every detail...not really. If the character sits at a table, do you need to describe all the details of the table? Only if those descriptions have a purpose. If you describe the table as having a wooden top (because a knive will be stuck in it later) you don't have to bother with what kind of wood, or it's color. Remember that description adds details to what the reader sees, but let the reader fill in the details that are not relevant to the story. If I see a oak table top that has a dark stain on it, and someone else sees pine with varnish and no stain...does it matter? Will that change the story? If not, the table being wood is all you need to add. There is a nice book on description, and is called "Description", I believe by "Monica Wood", and it covers description quite well.
posted
I like going with "what's interesting" and "what my POV character would notice." For example, a pre-Columbian Indian visiting my living room would notice the indoor lighting, the windows, the carpet, the fact that there's no smoke. If it's a modern American going in, I'd just say, "He went into the living room."
Critiquers complain about this at times, but I'm not sure they're right.
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