The boss in question also enjoys writing but has no real aspirations with his work than to enjoy himself and maybe write something someone else may enjoy.
Anyway we were talking and he brought up a book he was listening to on the road one day where the author wrote something like "The face showed no emotion save for his upper lip which quivered like granite in an earthquake.....". Of this my boss said the author excells at turning a phrase but that writing things like that add nothing to the story aside from word count.
I happen to take a different view.
I've always felt that a writer's mission is the same as a painter's just with a different tools. Whereas the painter has his canvas, brushes and paints to create an image with the author has the computer, typewriter, word processor or even pen and paper to accomplish nearly the same goal.
My boss has an image similar to this on his wall:
I explained to him that if the painter had left out the people, the clouds, the choppy water and went with not much more than a sihlouette of a ship at an odd angle you'd have no where near as powerful an image. And frankly it'd be a rather dull image to boot.
Detailed writing serves the same purpose and keeps written works alive. If the author stuck to simple and lifeless phrasing like "his lip shook" the scene loses its power and as such isn't nearly as interesting. In my mind nothing could be worse than a piece written in nothing but bare bones language (well other than a bad story but that's another case for another time).
Can this be overdone?
Definately.
Probably the most common example is in focusing too heavily on what the characters are wearing (something even I am guilty of). I can't count how many times I've read books that, while I enjoyed, I've found myself wanting to skim past endless descriptions of the cut and style of clothing everyone is wearing.
Could those never ending lists of attire be the author simply padding their word count?
I suppose so but as an outsider looking in who am I to say.
I believe I've soapboxed enough for one day. I hope everyone has a good weekend, looks like the weather is going to be perfect in my neck of the woods for some quality writing/reading time.
1 comment:
Haha. In an early draft of Meridia, I was guilty of having excessive descriptions during a meeting scene. Granted, my intent had been to illustrate what the characters would notice and how they were using that info to judge trustworthiness, but it was still way too much. I have since boiled down those evaluations.
But descriptions are necessary in the right amount to get a feel for mood, intent, and perspective. They aren't filler unless they are overdone or out of character.
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