The devil is in the details

cj Sez: My first drafts are crappy and sparse,mainly for two reasons: First, I was once a corporate journalist/editor withlimited line space, and second, I got turned on to creative writing by ascreenwriter.


  I often get criticized for my lack of details, but once I’mfinished with the first go-through, my editing process expands on details ofthe five senses…hear, see, taste, smell, feel… and the characters’ state ofmind.
  I do incorporate some action descriptors, but I consider toomany of them stage direction. Some writers use them to “tell” their readers whatthe author means or as a way to add words to a short manuscript. 
  Action needs to have purpose. If describing an actiondoesn't contribute to the reader's knowledge of the character, scene conflict,or mood, then it’s stage direction. Because I write mostly suspense andthrillers, I have a minimalist approach to action … using few words speeds upthe pace and heightens the tension. On the other hand, readers of cozymysteries or more narrative-based novels want (and expect) to know everydetail.
  Describing action is a good way to control the pace of yournovel. Even in suspense and thrillers, there are places where the reader needsa respite from the action. These would be the spots where I add more detail…orbeats as authors call them. Places where I can reveal more of the characters’ growth, i.e., transformation,as the plot progresses. 
Hint: Adding detail words slows the pace; beingstingy speeds it up.
  When action is needed to set some mood for the scene, thenyes, I detail the action. Sometimes I add details to slow the action andincrease the tension. If I want a character to give the reader a sense ofimpending danger and fear, then I add more description to the action. Itend to follow the lead of my favorite authors...Robert Parker, Stephen King,James Lee Burke... their succinct style of writing is what I like to read, andit is this reader who is my target market. Be sure you have identified who that is.
Hint: Write for your target market what you like to read.

  When I write, I take my cues from screenwriting, except I’mthe actor. Since internal dialogue doesn’t convert easily o the movie screen, Itend to develop most of the characterizations within action. I step through thescene in my mind and react to the events as my characters would, physically andmentally. I can do that because I know their personalities well enough to knowwhat they would do in a given situation. 

  I know them because I createbackstory/biographies for each of them. I want my readers to identify thecharacter more by what s/he does and says rather than what I might tell them(aka author intrusion).

  Fiction, non-fiction, whatever the genre, eachhas a different set of “rules” because the readers have different expectationsand wants. The key is to write for your target market . . . and make that thegenre you read and analyze. Over time, the structure of the genre will likely becomesecond nature.

  If you have any questions or more info to add to this post,please leave a comment. Lyrical Pens would love to hear from you.
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For readers and writers . . . Benefits of reading:   https://www.webmd.com/balance/health-benefits-of-reading-books
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Here’s an explanation of when to use use or used (love thatusage): https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/use-to-or-used-to/
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  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on,and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.
cj
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