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May Writing Meme: Day 11
May. 11th, 2011 07:34 am11. How much detail do you usually leave out of a story?
The better question for me, would be: "How much detail do you usually put into a story."
And the answer to that would be, "As much detail as suits the viewpoint character, plot, and pacing/scope of the story." In general, the shorter the story and the smaller the scope, the more detailed I go.
Basically longer, plotty stories need to move. The prose itself can be vivid while progressing the plot, but anything that stops the action simply to add detail needs to be seriously reconsidered and probably trimmed.
Shorter pieces, on the other hand, feel too much like an undeveloped longer story if their net is cast too wide. So the best way to make a short piece seem complete, is to narrow the focus onto one thread and elaborate.
( All days )
The better question for me, would be: "How much detail do you usually put into a story."
And the answer to that would be, "As much detail as suits the viewpoint character, plot, and pacing/scope of the story." In general, the shorter the story and the smaller the scope, the more detailed I go.
Basically longer, plotty stories need to move. The prose itself can be vivid while progressing the plot, but anything that stops the action simply to add detail needs to be seriously reconsidered and probably trimmed.
Shorter pieces, on the other hand, feel too much like an undeveloped longer story if their net is cast too wide. So the best way to make a short piece seem complete, is to narrow the focus onto one thread and elaborate.
( All days )
