Go Ahead . . . Everybody's Doing It by Ann Haywood Leal
It’s
not that bad, right? Some people
just want to do it and get it over with.
Some look forward to it eagerly.
Adding details to our writing is like decorating for the holidays. Once you immerse yourself into it, you
are hooked – and so will be your readers.
C.S. Lewis said, “Don’t say it was ‘delightful’; make us say ‘delightful’ when we ‘ve read the
description. You see, all those
words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your
readers, “Please will you do my job for me.”
If
you add the right detail, just a tiny word or two, you can make the reader
laugh, or cry, or catch their breath.
Finding
those perfect details isn’t as hard as it sounds. Try to notice the little things around you. What is that man doing in the car next
to you? Is he texting? Is he weeping? Is he picking his nose?
When
you add details to your story, it becomes personal. It goes from being any old story to being personal. That’s when it becomes real.
Maybe
you are writing about the lady next door taking her garbage out in the
morning. Get nosey with those
characters. Ask yourself those
impolite questions. What’s in that
garbage and why does she have to take it out every morning? What’s that stain on her robe? Are her curtains open or closed, and
how come she keeps her curtains closed in the daytime?
Try
to notice those little details—I call it thinking like a poet. My favorite poets use very spare
language to make the story come to life in the poem. They make every word count. They pay attention to subtle things, like the way someone’s
voice goes up or down a little when they say certain things. Or the way their voice catches.
Don’t
be afraid to channel Gladys Kravitz.
Spy on those people in their stories. What’s out front of the house? Why are all those cars in the driveway all of a sudden? What’s going on over there?
Is
there a death? A birth?
The
cars are coming and going at all hours of the night. Are they drug dealers?
Don’t
be satisfied with just steps. Make
them creak.
Don’t
be satisfied with just a classroom.
Jazz it up. Put some
contraband in there. Make someone
throw up or want to throw up.
Details
can be deceptive, too. They can
trick us—they can trick the reader.
You can drop a tiny detail in and see if the reader notices—a bit of foreshadowing.
I
leave you with some holiday cheer from Mark Twain: “The difference between the right word and the almost right
word is the difference between lightning and lightning-bug.”
Now
get back to your decorating!
Great examples Annie! Finding the right details is satisfying and fun...when you really nail it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Darlene!
DeleteChannelling Gladys Kravitz -- love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laurie!
DeleteLove the quotes, Annie! I'm off to decorate now:)
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you on tiny details. And I love the book trees!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Holly!
Delete