How Do You All Describe?

[gothic_ginny]

Hmmm.. If I had to choose between your two choices, I'd say the first one... Especially to describe situations, landscapes... I like to describe thing in such a way that it leaves the reader questioning. With characters, I'm more straight forward -- kind of I tell you only what you would notice at first glance it you were really there. Make any sence?
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[Stratadrake]

Ah, the perennial debate of "show vs. tell". Your first clip is an example of "showing", the phrasing is active, yet subtle -- the description it gives the impression that you are actually [i]witnessing[/i] what is taking place before you.

Your second example, on the other hand, is a salient example of "telling". The phrasing is passive (notice all the is/has conjugations -- "was", "were", "had", etc.), there is no description, just [i]exposition[/i].
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[falconwing]

To use Stratas phrasing I personally like to show. It just seems that my stories have more substance that way.

[JINTEIthe76thKAISER]

I like to describe almost anything broadly. I think you can see why.

Except cars and physics concerning automobile racing, though, which are my specialty.
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[Fayore]

I like to do mine subtly because it helps the person reading imagine things a little easier, without interrupting the flow of the story. The other method is much more juvenile in style, and interrupts the story like God only knows. o_o;
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[gothic_ginny]

Isn't description supposed to add to the story rather tan interrupt it. I mean, Fayore, you sound like you have only two choices: either it interrupts, or it doesn't interrupt, but doesn't add -- king of like a minor annoyance..
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[amerowolf]

I like to discribe the aspects of thier faces and hair more so than what thier wearing. The problem wiht me is I tend to have straight men as the main character...and well sometimes I kind of make it seem like he's lusting over a perticularly cute baddie because of the way i describe him. It's become a nasty little habit as of late.

[Fayore]

Trust me, I've read enough fics to know that if you describe things in a straight-forward manner, it will most likely interrupt the story. In fact, many people skip over descriptions that are lengthy and written in such a manner - it's just too annoying to read.
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[gothic_ginny]

[quote="Fayore ()"] In fact, many people skip over descriptions that are lengthy and written in such a manner - it's just too annoying to read. [/quote]
Aww, thats sad. I like to read everything, unless they used the whole thesaurus (you know what I mean, right?).

What about real stories? I mean like classics with description -- something like Dickens maybe.
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[KFelidae]

Personally, Dickens has been the only author that I've found boring enough to put down solely on his writing style. The man could spend a page just on describing a street corner.

Writing for me is almost all about show. I try to keep tell to a minimum, unless you're seeing something new or unique for the first time. Then it will go for a small bit, but never take over the story completely.


-KF

[dolphinprincess]

Hmmm....I never really thought about that before. I guess it depends on the story I'm writng. So I'd have to say that I use both techniques.
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[JediRevan20]

I'd say I'd do it subtlely, so it doesn't sound too boring.

[gothic_ginny]

Seriously, what is it with people hating description these days? Is it supposed to be all plot-plot-plot and action-action-action?

I don't see anything wrong with describing a street corner for a couple of pages. Description is the beauty of writing. Not boring -- beautiful. :wub:
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[Fayore]

No, no, no. We're not hatin' on describing things. We're just saying that that style has absolutely no tact. (Or, at least, that's what I'm saying.) The style of straightforward description interupsts flow and doesn't leave much to the imagination. Like... Let me present a couple examples for you. It's not all about plot and action, although I'd have to say that plot at least takes precedence over description. In fact, I think that's what you haven't been understanding so far. I'm showing the difference between subtle description and straightforward description, and why I use one but not the other. It sounds like you just think I'm hating descriptions in general. :|

Subtle (and since I'm so lazy, I'm gonna gank it right out of an RP bio I wrote):

[i]Felix watched the sunlight glitter through his long hair as wind rushed past. He'd always wanted to dye his hair, but a flat refusal from his mother always stopped him when he was younger. After his father had taught him a bit of alchemy, however, Felix found that it was fully within his rights to change his hair to a golden shine even if he'd look like a small, thin, dirty sunflower (as his mother was prone to complaining). His father, of course, was just proud of Felix's accomplishment, and his mother was quite unable to change the colour back, not liking the idea of alchemy at all.

He turned his emerald eyes to the sky, watching a bird flow by on a breeze. He briefly wondered whether he should catch it or not - the spiders he had collected for a particular task were getting a bit rowdy in their shoebox. [/i]

Same character, except straightforward:

[i]Felix had long, dirty-blond hair. He dyed his hair through alchemy even though his mom didn't want him to, and he was pleased with the results. He was thin and a little bit on the short side, and had emerald-green eyes.[/i]

There you go. Same information, although the first one didn't make the writer (me) sound like a fifth-grader. =_= See? Subtle = good. Also, the first description also adds what the character is currently doing, and actions help the reader visualize a little better.

EDIT: And Dickens is indeed a good writer (otherwise his works wouldn't be considered "classic") but reading a page full of a description of a street corner (which, by all rights, should be pretty nondescript in itself) would make me want to throw the book at the next thing that moved. =_=; I can't read that kind of dribble; the only Dickens I ever read through was Oliver Twist, and I barely even remember what it was about because the descriptions overrode the events. I just remember pages of adjectives, not actual events themselves. I mean, in my copy, one sentence can equal a paragraph *and* take up seven lines. :/
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[gothic_ginny]

Fayore, I do like your first example. And I understand the show versus tell thing. (Although the tell can also be used in good way. You overexagerrated a little )

However, people were just complaining about discription in general, saying that it's boring and they like to skip over it. Thats a bit different from your case. ^_^

There's nothing wrong with a page describing a street corner, I tell you. grrr. Nah, seriously... it's interesting.
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[Stratadrake]

[quote]There's nothing wrong with a page describing a street corner, I tell you.[/quote]

Agreed ... unless there's a high-speed chase, a gang shootout, or other intense action sequence taking place at the time....
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[Khrogan]

I try to discribe with all the senses, though some of them may be difficult. It works well...I think so, anyway.

[Hawk4444]

I myself like to describe things in like a script.

The man walked up to the desk and rang the bell. (ding ding).

Man: hello can i have some serve here, its late and i want to go to bed.

Mostly like this i describe things in paragraph's and then put a name and then a : to have the characters speak. Its just me but i think that it makes the story a little more detailed and describes better.
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[Stratadrake]

[quote]Its just me but i think that it makes the story a little more detailed and describes better.[/quote]

Well, no offense, but . . . I think it [i]is[/i] just you. I mean, compare these two examples (based on yours), which one sounds better?

Guy (standing at the reception counter of a hotel ringing its service bell): "Hello, can I have some service here? It's late, I want to go to bed!"

He stood there against the desk, pounding repeatedly on the bell. "Hello...?" He called out to empty hallways. "Can I have some service here? It's late. I want to go to bed!"
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[Rebus]

I don't mind description if it's done well. In professional books, especially the classics, I usually enjoy reading it. On the internet... no.

Most of the writing on the internet isn't very good, because most of us are amateurs, and quite a lot of us don't understand the basics of writing. It's a great place to learn, and on occasion I've found some lovely pieces, but on the whole description just isn't well done. People don't ask themselves 'will the reader care?' often enough, or even at all in some cases.

And I came into fiction via non-fiction - I'm not very flowery So in my writing, I probably have too little description. But I'm working on it