Details

We all know the devil is in the details but how does that apply to writing a book?
This is more than the details of your characters’ appearances. This is about all sorts of details. Let’s look at a few of these.
What most authors concentrate on when they’re imparting details is their characters, especially those who are in the forefront of the book. They’ll give you everything from birth to that moment, in a long narrative that can and does detract from the story. You’ll not only know what the person looks like, but also their favorite food, places they love to go, every house they’ve ever lived in and for how long. You’ll learn what they like to do and what they hate in minute detail. The reader will even be given their dreams for the future. Only after all this has been imparted will you learn what their place is in the story and how important they are. This will go for each new character as they’re introduced. Personally, my characterizations are minimal. The reader can add the details themselves after seeing those individuals act out their part in my tales.
Other visualizations that are often overdone are scenes. We’ll see a character step into a room or leave a building, and we’re treated to a long diatribe about everything, including how many leaves are on the nearby trees or a deep description of the concrete jungle, so you can “see” where the character is standing. Turn this into time, and your character should be halfway to their destination in their vehicle, which will also be treated to this over-characterization.
As an author, we are tempted constantly to move away from plot when it comes to description. We need to learn to avoid this and remain focused on the plot. This element is what’s important to the story. Like seasoning a fine dish, one must only give out as much details as are necessary at that moment. Save some of that spice known as details for when it’s needed elsewhere.
One of the best ways to learn how to create details is to read the masters. Robert Jordan got it very right in his Wheel of Time series. You were served the details of the characters’ lives as they were living through the adventures of this epic tale. Even near the end, in the final book, we were still learning so much about the characters, things that wouldn’t have mattered in the first book. That is how to play out the art of details.




About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.                                                                                                  She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game  plotting a new story.

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