The Power Of Description ...and not overusing it! by BitterEpiphany

Descriptions are dangerous! For young writers it can be incredibly difficult to tell what is relevant description and what is simply silly. For that, I refer you to one of my favorite authors of all time: Tom Robbins.  He uses an inordinate amount of description in his works, but it never seems trite.  If you're having some issues, I'd recommend picking something of his up from your local library, but, be warned, the books are generally loaded with sexual content. What's Relevant? Only impart details that are important to who your character is or that set a scene and put the reader there. That said, following is a list of details that are important to include when setting a scene. Sounds Lighting Appearance It is important to only highlight one or two of each of these in any scene.  For instance, if you describe the table setting, it would probably be redundant to discuss the window treatments. "The device on the table emitted a low hum in the background, distracting me from my musings but, as I watched her watching me, the light falling across her face, perhaps it was better." To describing information relevant to your character don't include things for the sake of including them.  Only put things in that say something about who they are.  Impart that they're messy by adding tidbits of the mess into your set descriptions.  If you wish to impart that your character is consumed with their appearance, include lost of details about makeup, clothing, etc... but be aware that when you include something you need to be saying something.  If you aren't saying something, it shouldn't be there. Clothing ..how not to take it too far. Clothing is a major issue in fan fiction.  Many writers take their descriptions too far, making everything incredibly annoying :) Your eyes squint, painfully against the light.  Admit it, Alexis, your useless without your glasses.  Though, perhaps what you should really be admitting is that with them you resemble Big Bird's mutant spawn. Another day, you muse rising up, beak and all, to pull on whatever garment is draping over your lamp.  Automatically, you pass your blurred vision over the sleeping figure still tangled in your sheets.  Brad, was it? Curtains drawn, robe thrown loosely about your slender shoulders, you tuck your wand 'safely' against your leg, held tight by the tiny black elastic of skimpy panties.  Trudge.  Shuffle. In this caption we've learned that Alexis wears glasses - that she has a large nose and that she has some self-confidence issues in regard to it - that she is slightly messy and was involved in an impassioned love scene the previous evening - from "skimpy panties" we've drawn several explicit conclusions.  This would be the bad way to do it: You were wearing a black pleated skirt that stopped about six inches above the knee and  red t-shirt reading "rock star."  You had dangly earrings in and black nail polish.  Before you left, you painted on a heavy layer of eyeliner and stashed your lip-gloss in your pocket.  Draco would love this. When you put details all together like that, you overwhelm the reader with "drivel" that seems unimportant but, to sprinkle it in (within the next 500 words of the first passage we also see "painted on an additional layer of lipstick and liner" - "pressing dangling ornaments through your lobes" - "toss on your leather jacket"  The same amount of information is imparted, but, when done this way, it's less intrusive and it almost lends it more importance.

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