Want Better Descriptions? Describe What Readers Won't Assume

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Writing better descriptions is easy when you take advantage of your point-of-view character.

I always chuckle a bit when I write about description, because I dislike writing description. I’m much more intrigued by what characters say, think, and do than what things look like, but description is necessary to craft a well-rounded story. In some genres, it’s vital.

Lucky for me, my attitude toward description actually helped me develop tricks to do the most with the fewest words possible—a valuable skill for any writer. Instead of writing a paragraph or two detailing what a room looks like, I assume the reader knows what a room looks like, then I pick specific details about that particular room, and show it through my point-of-view character.

I learned this trick a decade ago from author Kathleen Duey at the Decatur Book Festival in Georgia. During a panel, she brilliantly said, “Describe what the reader won't assume.”
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com