Since I was off doing stuff and things at the hospital and for my mom, etc., I’m catching up on my Blog Circle posts now. Our fearless leader Keri posted the following for us to ponder back in June.

Our purple month means we have to start talking about the most deadly weapon in the writer’s arsenal – purple prose. Too much description can kill a man… So let’s talk about our methods of sprinkling it!

How much is too much for you?

Outside of the bare minimum is too much. I’ve had to work with over done writing a lot, not just in editing but my own work as well. I’ll go back through something I’ve written years ago and cringe; even the pieces that have been published will often bring a momentary “WTF??” Readers have to be allowed to use their own imaginations, otherwise writers risk killing the thrill of discovering these new people and places.

How little is too little?

This is where it gets tricky. There has to be some description, some shading of the lines, to get the reader’s interest, and jump-start their own imaginations. Everyone is different, and not everyone has a writer’s mind. Sadly, that is out of our hands. For me, if a writer has given a basic sketch of their characters and surroundings, adding just a smidgen of texture and shadow, I’ll fill in the rest just fine.

If I wanted to experience stories without having to use my own brain, I’d watch TV. I expect that’s what many readers feel, in the end.

How do you find your happy medium?

I write what I’d like to read. Of course, what I end up with is something just short of force-feeding every detail to my reader, so there’s a lot of editing behind the scenes before I even think about going through a re-write.

What must you describe about every character when you write?

Their hair and eyes. I don’t know why I do this, although I suspect it has to do with how I see people in general. Hair and eyes, and everything else follows. I’ve been like that since I started writing!

What’s the worst way to use and/or reveal character descriptions?

Revealing every detail of how the writer sees the character. To me, that ruins it. Outside of the basics, we really don’t need to know anything else; speak of physical attributes in generalities, surroundings the same. Let the reader experience everything through their own mental movies, otherwise they may as well be watching an actual movie…

How much of the scenery do you put into your novel and why?

It depends on whether or not the scenery is part of the story I’m trying to tell. Damages has very little scenery as it is character driven. Windygates has a lot of scenery, because the wilds are retaking the formerly populated areas. So many people haven’t had the luxury of being out in the wilds as I have. Still, I only give enough to spark imagination, I hope I’m not steam-rolling my vision onto theirs!

’til next time!
<3 JL