Descriptive or streamlined?

[Nik]

The first time I read The Rainmaker of Grisham something like 15 or 20 years ago, I thought it was a tremendous book and would've rated it 5 stars with no hesitation. A few years ago, I'd tried to reread it and quit after first 100 pages, stuck in all the small details. I know it gets better towards the middle/end and Grisham masterfully transports the reader right into the setting, but boy, what's with the pace? Tolstoy can describe a Russian village for 10 pages without a problem, each time offering a new metaphor, allegory or hyperbole. Real magician, but not for me.
I know I grow impatient -:) and feeling that I'm undergoing a certian change in my own preferences, I became curious how others feel.
Is brevity indeed the soul of wit or is the devil still in the detail?

[Tara Woods Turner]

It is possible we dwell on the details when we don't know what to expect in a book and become impatient with them we do.

[Ian]

I think it depends on the reader, the skill of the writer, and also what sort of story it is. My view is, passages should do something for the story. Tolstoy was an exceptionally good writer, so he could get away with things that we lesser mortals cannot, but even then you find the scenes usually do a lot more than simply describe. Thus the famous harvesting scene did more than just describe harvesting; it created an atmosphere of peace, and a rest from the tension. If you are going to write a novel approaching 1000 pp, you have to step of the tension some of the time. (I also found it interesting because I may be one of the few who actually still know how to sue a scythe and I do from time to time, but not on that scale.)

It is also a useful technique to get peace before tension, in other words, something to build up from. Thus in my "Miranda's Demons" I give a fairly long (for me) description of a character staring at the landscape from the Bosphorus Rupes and looking over Argyre Planitia (on Mars). Now, obviously I haven't been there, but the good news is, neither have my readers, and what I wrote was as good as I could make it from NASA information at the time. Then the viewer sees a fain cloud of dust coming his way, and later a second cloud, presumably chasers. So the description sets the scene for subsequent action, and I did not have to describe as I went along, which would interrupt things.

But in general, I am against long descriptions there for no purpose as far as the story goes. Keep them brief, is my approach. Maybe too brief in my case sometimes.

[Nik]

When time wasn't that much of an issue, I tolerated and even enjoyed a more descriptive approach, but with the years - I'm more into the snappy style (but not simplistic). However you still need to give some setting and atmosphere, so some degree of description is inevitable and if done with a sense of a good measure, could be quite cool and helpful

[Tara Woods Turner]

The older we become and the more we've read the less likely we need or want long passages of description. We've seen it. We get it and we basically know where the author is headed and what he's trying to accomplish.

At some point the details of which you know the leasr are the ones most capable of holding your attention and intrrest.

[Mehreen]

I like introspective passages.

[Nik]

What about you, guys?

[Ian]

Introspective passages are somewhat different. If they put you in the protagonist's mind, they permit useful character development. However, for me, description, etc is like adverbs - important technique but not to be overdone.

[Joanna]

I am just waiting for the day when authors provide links in their e-books to photos and/or videos of their settings. Assuming, of course, that the locations are real places.

[Ian]

Joanna, in my "Red Gold", set in parts of Hellas Planitia (Mars), I put an image of HP on the front cover, which would act as a map of where everything happened, but also show the desolation of the place. I thought this was clever at the time, but as far as I can see, nobody noticed! A lot of authors also provide links in an Author's Note at the end.

[Michael]

Joanna wrote: "I am just waiting for the day when authors provide links in their e-books to photos and/or videos of their settings. Assuming, of course, that the locations are real places."

Since I know you are reading my book, here are some of the locations... (thank you)

AVN in Las Vegas -

https://youtu.be/oTADDoRom4E

BTW - Michael Grecco is a friend and client. And I am AVN's attorney.

Lettere - Castle and Cathedral

https://www.facebook.com/Castello-di-...

Ravello

http://www.ravello.com/

Villa Rufolo

http://www.villarufolo.it/

Cathedral in Los Angeles

http://www.olacathedral.org/

[Daniel J.]

I think we as readers go through "moods"; there are times when we want brevity, and there are times when we want introspection and minute details.

John Steinbeck's "East of Eden" is my favorite book, but I rarely want to read it. It requires the reader to be in a certain "mood" before it can be fully enjoyed, and I'm often simply not in that mood.

That being said, these moods can be hard to distinguish. Countless times I've started rereading a book I love, only to discover that I just wasn't up to it.

[Roughseasinthemed]

Daniel J. wrote: "I think we as readers go through "moods"; there are times when we want brevity, and there are times when we want introspection and minute details.

John Steinbeck's "East of Eden" is my favorite bo..."

One of my GR friends is currently reading it. Waiting to see what he thinks. I thought it was very good. But Grapes of Wrath? Ugh.

[Joanna]

Michael: thank you for all the links. I love the photos of Ravello. Doesn't everyone just want to retire there? Also enjoyed the YouTube of Naked Ambition trailer. It's a world I know absolutely nothing about, but have a feeling am going to get a bit of an education from reading Resurrection of the Scrolls. Good Luck

Ian: went to your author page to take a look at your cover for Red Gold. I have to be honest, if I was into scifi ( sorry I didn't even go to see The Martian) , I would appreciate the cover. I would also probably know instantly that it is Mars.

[Nik]

How do you like your reads?

[P.J.]

Been trying off and on most of the day to post a response! Goodreads hasn't been cooperating.

Evocative writing can be powerful, and requires some description. When descriptions become repetitive, I grow impatient, and in non-fiction will start skipping or scanning quickly. As long as it continues to add something useful, I see it as a positive. That said, I know sometimes my own writing can get lost in the details, and I'm trying to work on that. My impression is that in general, people's attention spans have grown shorter.

Regarding Joanna's suggestion about links to photos -- I included photos in mine, but it's non-fiction. Actually, today I'm adding more photos in an update, toward a re-release.

[Ian]

Joanna: the cover image is actually of Hellas Planitia, which is where the action on Mars is set. You can see the giant channels Harmarkis and Dao on the upper right of the crater.

[Graeme]

Keep it short.

[Ian]

Personally, I like a sign of depth, which usually requires more length. Length alone is bad, but length with breadth and depth is good.

[Scout]

Graeme wrote: "Keep it short."

As in short stories?