Have you ever been reading a novel and the author begins describing a character to your disapproval? I do sometimes. Let me tell you why. Sometimes as I read a good book, reading about the roll and personality of a character, it reminds me of someone; maybe an actor or one of the many characters I have met in my life. Some writers are so detailed about each person, they box me in and I feel smothered with the details they create. That's the reason I try to leave a little wiggle room for the reader to fill in the blanks. I try to leave enough dots in the description that the reader's mental image of a character is roughly the same as mine. But they fill in the details and therefore become co-writers with the storyteller as they read along. My assumption was that everyone enjoyed that type of reading. What about you? Leave a comment about how you like your characters described.
1 Comment
Robert M. Starr
1/18/2019 07:16:35 pm
As a reader, I'm not certain I can answer your question? I love the detailed descriptions of Alistair MacLean, but I've felt bogged down and bored by descriptions written by others, so it may be more a matter of how well it is done and whether the details add important information (even if the significance of that information not yet obvious).
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AuthorTim White splashes wit with wisdom gained from too many mistakes. You are welcomed to enjoy his current blog or view blogs from earlier. Archives
February 2019
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