Descriptive Writing

A good friend and talented writer called me last night to offer feedback on my recently published short story, The Buckner Brothers. In summary, she said she liked the story and its unpredictability. She said the pace was good, as was the rhythm. She particularly appreciated the physical descriptions of the main characters and the way in which their psychoses evolved.
  

Then she lowered the boom; she said she had a hard time visualizing where the action was taking place. The writing lacked a vivid setting. She wanted more ambience, more environment. 

So what did I do? Like any self-respecting writer, I drank wine through a straw went back and reread the story she was referring to. Then I studied my WIP. Yep. She’s dead nuts right.

As I looked at my writing through this new lense, it was clear - I do spill more ink on people than I do on places. Interesting. I went looking for advice from my guru, Stephen King. In his book about writing, aptly titled On Writing, King differentiates between two kinds of descriptive writing: the physical description of characters and the description of “locale and texture” (his words).

I’m feeling halfway okay until I read further. King says descriptions of “locale and texture” are more important to good writing than are descriptions of people and characters. 

Wouldn't you know it.

Digging for details, I landed on this nugget:

Thin description leaves the reader feeling bewildered and nearsighted. Over-description buries him or her in details and images. The trick is to find a happy medium.  

Easy for you to do, Mr. King. But what about fledgling indi authors?

Good description is a learned skill, one of the prime reasons why you cannot succeed unless you read a lot and write a lot. Reading will help you answer how much, and only reams of writing will help you with the how. You can learn only by doing. 

Alrighty then, back to the doing. I just hope I don't over-describe the little girl's bedroom in the story I'm writing now. If I do, I trust that my excellent and talented friends will shove me in the right direction. Thanks, Cyndi.
 

Stephen King uses Social Media in New Ways

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a giant Stephen King fan. For aspiring writers, I highly recommend Stephen King on Writing. In fact, as I reread recent blog posts, it’s clear that I need to read On Writing again (for the 3^rd time).

I’m just finishing Lisey’s Story (Lisey's Story by Stephen King, a Review) and will start on Duma Key soon. Yep, I'm a fan.

There are countless reasons I think Stephen King is a master, most of which are writing related. But I also think he’s a free thinker, not bound by traditional convention. As the cliché goes, he thinks outside the box.

I don’t know much about Klout so this is not an endorsement. It’s very cool, however, that King is using social media to market his new story, Mile 81. He's also previewing his new book 11/22/63 in this same manner. Here’s the official press release:

Lisey's Story by Stephen King: a Book Review

Or, What's Keeping Me Up Past Midnight?

It’s been ages since I’ve come across a book that’s so good it’s kept me up past midnight. Past many midnights! Just to keep reading. I’m half way through Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story and I’ve been losing sleep since I picked it up.

Quick summary

The book is about the marriage between award-winning novelist Scott Landon and his wife Lisey. The story takes place after Scott’s death so it’s Lisey’s mind we get to explore. We learn about her troubled husband and their powerful relationship through Lisey’s memories and flashbacks.    

My impression so far

I can never say enough about Stephen King’s storytelling. His style is at once casual and compelling. He trusts his readers to stay with the book as he unveils the story in baby bites, at his own pace (which I believe is part of his mastery).

As an example, I didn’t start out liking Lisey—and Lisey’s Story is obviously about her. I wasn’t clear why someone as talented and complicated as Scott Landon would be drawn to her. If the story is about their profound marriage then I needed to know what the connection was. King kept me hanging on, slowly revealing nuggets, until I grew to understand.

The cool thing is, I don’t know if I understand what Stephen King wants me to or if I’ve layered my own life experiences over his story to reach my point of view. And it doesn’t matter, does it? King trusts me (his reader) to ‘get it,’ whatever that may be. And that, my friends, is what I call good writing.     

As I read Lisey’s Story, I can’t help but wonder how much of this book is autobiographical. Knowing what I do of King’s life (run—don’t walk—to buy Stephen King on Writing) makes reading Lisey’s Story more even more interesting.

At one point Scott says something to Lisey about feeling like nothing more than a jukebox, that people drop money in him and out pops a story. Wonder if Stephen King ever feels that way.  

____________________________________________________

This post was written for The Writers' Post group on Facebook, and this week’s topic is midnight.  If you want to connect with other bloggers and join the fun, go to The Writers' Post Facebook page and request to join the group. Everyone is welcome.