The Devil’s in the Details…or, not so much detail ;)
Haha, thought that title was appropriate for this post…
Miss Snark had a great post about writing “evil” characters. She made a wonderful point I’d like to elaborate on. I think one of the harder concepts to grasp (at least for me in earlier stages of writing) was how to portray the “bad guy”. Sure I can say he’s evil. I can even show him doing horrible things in the story to the hero, to the heroine, to others…but if I don’t show the reader WHY he’s the way he is, then I have not fully developed his character. I’d written two novels before I realized this lack of depth in my writing. And actually, a reader pointed it out. 
She wrote me an email about how much she’d loved my novels. In her note she mentioned how she wished she’d known ‘why’ the bad guy was…well, the bad guy. I’d spent so much time learning to develop my main protagonists, I hadn’t learned the nuances of fully developing a really good antagonist. It was a great lesson learned and one I always remember now when I write my novels.
Paperback Writer also recently had an awesome post. For those who learn by example, her example is for you. Plus, it’ll make you laugh. Lynn’s point with her post was how excessive description can truly draw you out of the story.
If you have an intense, action-packed scene, the last thing you need to do as the author is to wax on about the surroundings. Truth be told, if you WERE in an intense, action-packed situation, YOU wouldn’t notice much of your surroundings. At least not until you were finally safe and sitting still behind a locked door and your heart had finally slowed to slightly faster than a rabbit’s! Even then, there are ways to convey a setting without long descriptive narrative.
John slipped on the oriental hall carpet as he entered the dark house and closed the door. With quiet, slow movements, he slid the heavy wrought iron bolt into its lock. Pressing his temple against the thick oak, he listened, his pulse thumping an erratic tempo. While he waited, sweat dripped down his forehead and steamed his lenses.
Nothing. No sound.
His shoulders loosened as he mentally counted to sixty to assure they hadn’t followed him.
Fifty.
Must breathe.
Fifty-one.
Fifty-two.
Air.
Fifty-three.
Need air.
His lungs burned and his face strained, but he waited until he hit sixty seconds. When his vision began to blur, he finally inhaled a wheezing, painful breath and tugged hard on his tie. He turned around, grasping the top button on his starched dress shirt.
His fingers froze on the stubborn button. A woman’s shadow stood in a wide hallway stocked full of cloth-covered furniture.
The example above isn’t perfect, but what do we know from the snippet? John wears glasses, he’s in a suit and a tie, he’s in a dark (maybe abandoned?) house with an oriental rug. The door is heavy oak with an old-timey wrought iron lock. And of course, he’s being pursued. I tried to keep the reader IN the action while conveying small details about the main character and his surroundings.
For those reading this post, how do you like your details given? Drabs and dribbles? Long descriptive scenes? For any authors reading this post, what was your best ‘learning/growing’ that you’ve experienced in your career so far?
I’m going to take off for a few days and spend some time with my visiting family! Have a good week everyone.
