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L.A. Mitchell

     Romance...Out of Time

 

Facet II :: Description and Imagery

Seven Facets of Deep Prose : Description and Imagery

Part two in a series 

For the writer, crafting prose rich with imagery and description is an exercise in degrees as much as it is understanding where his or her own voice falls on the literary spectrum.  Some author’s words emerge spare and succinct with the minimalist qualities of Ernest Hemingway or Raymond Carver.  Other writers have dense prose filled with sensual description and metaphors, a chorus of lush notes that reach the reader on an entirely different level.  Which end of the spectrum has the most literary impact on the reader?

     The answer is:  both.  Great description can steep through a story like weak tea with just a hint of flavor or can be as rich as the darkest roast-blend.  A writer’s success lies in recognizing the amount of imagery and description that comes most naturally.  Anything more or less would ring off-key to the reader. 

Description    

     Writers have an advantage over movie directors.  While a camera’s lens can pick up dozens of details framed within a scene, the written word has the power to laser the reader’s focus on a precise object or the subtle nuance of a character’s behavior. 

Vibrant, clear description is the first step to accessing the “reader’s eye”, that fully-realized state of total immersion in a story.  The best descriptions consist of a few carefully chosen details that rise to the forefront of a scene as a representation of everything else.  Descriptions should: 

1.          carry significance to the character or plot

2.          contribute to the overall tone of the story

3.          create a zone of authority—an imaginary contract of trust with the author where readers are eager to suspend disbelief though specific, accurate details 

     Description also allows the writer to control a story’s timing.  Details bring a sense of importance to a scene.  Major turning points, moments of emotional character growth or heightened conflict all benefit from the tension brought on by good description.  Asking the reader to wait engages them on a far deeper level, provided the writer is able to walk the thin line between building suspense and tempting the reader to skip ahead.      

Description and Character 

     Unless physical characteristics are vital to plot or characterization, descriptions of main characters should begin in the writer’s imagination, but finish in the reader’s.  Some readers imagine themselves in the hero’s role, a magical connection to the story at risk when the writer repeatedly refers to physical characteristics completely different from those of the reader.  Over-described protagonists freeze out the reader’s version.  If the reader isn’t able to bring her experiences and ideals to the page, the main character remains at an emotional distance.

     Minor characters, however, can benefit from more precise description.  Writers don’t always have the story space to allow minor characters to become fully developed.  Readers sorting through re-emerging periphery characters look for patterns of identifiable traits and behaviors.  Descriptions of these characters are often more extreme and memorable because they’re not bound by the same codes of character the writer has established for the hero.

     A character’s description should be in close proximity to his first introduction.  A writer who delays physical details about a character risks tossing the reader out of the story world when he stumbles upon a description that reads nothing like what he envisioned for that character. 

Imagery 

     Good, solid description leads to imagery—the holy grail of memorable fiction.  Imagery is the key to unlocking the reader’s emotions, a bridge that leads from the stained futon and goose-neck light surrounding them to the glacial blast of a hero’s trek across Antarctica. 

     How does a writer know the best details to pluck from his mental photograph of a scene to create a strong, lasting image?  According to Stephen King, “imagery does not occur on the writer’s page; it occurs in the reader’s mind.”  Rich imagery is not born from over-description, but from the writer’s ability to visualize each scene, absorbing everything, and lay out enough description to suggest texture and feel, trusting the reader will fill in the space and create a balance. 

     Details that emerge with a strong impression for the writer will have the same effect on the reader.  Writers should strive to go beyond commonly-held ideas of places and characters, put away the thesaurus and let strong visual impressions guide their words.  Use the grays of a character’s internal conflict and emotions to shade the image.  Imagery of this caliber, King believes, “makes a book stand out, come alive and glow with its own light.” 

From Theory to Practice 

When crafting descriptions and images, here are some suggestions to keep in mind: 

1.          Use concrete, specific words.

2.          Use description in small bits, slipped in around action and dialogue.  Any more than one paragraph at a time tempts the reader to skip ahead.

3.          Omit passive voice and needless words.

4.          A cliché is defined as: anything you’ve ever heard or read before.  Always write fresh.

5.          Observe things around you.  Keep a journal and fill it with unique descriptions and different perspectives.

6.          Practice deep breathing and visualization before sitting down to write a scene.  Feel the texture of the sweater you’re wearing.  Catalog the sensory things happening around you.  When the words come from your story world, you’ll be more open to details.

7.          Brainstorm details and images of scenes alone or with a critique partner.

8.          Don’t edit yourself on the first draft.  If you want to write about a musician on a soggy street corner for three pages, do it. 

9.          When editing, always keep the big picture in mind.  The hardest part of writing is cutting the good stuff that doesn’t contribute to the whole.

10.     Follow the rule of threes for sensory input:  Any more than three and you risk drowning the reader’s senses.  If you want to use all five, condense as much as possible. 

Above all, honor what comes naturally.  Every writer brings history and experience and perspective to their descriptions no one else can.  And from that comes the most memorable prose of all.