Description or Dialogue...

[Shadow_Tempest]

Light novels are based on dialogues whereas standard American Novels have more description...
What are people here more likely to read?

 

[averagewriter]

Who knows?
*Shrug*

 

[DubstheDuke]

I find that in my own writing I tend to have scenes of description and scenes of dialogue, so I try as hard as I can to even it at least a little. During the dialogue scenes fit in some description, and during the descriptions scenes fit in some dialogue.

 

[OvidLemma]

Dialog is easy to read and a good way to pad your word count, but if you want to write a good story that's both enjoyable and meaningful, you need to balance both.

 

[ConTroll]

Whichever is most suitable for transitions, exposition, or moving the plot along.

Either can accomplish what I had mentioned.

I found that readers tend to see overly descriptive sections of my own work to be less immersive, so I've changed things in my newer chapters to have my MC deliver some of the exposition or explanations so that it 'feels' more fluid and immersive when read.

I tend to read my own work as-if reading any other book when I perform my final edit before publishing, so I do agree with the criticism.

Of course, this immersion aspect is only really a problem when writing in 3rd person.

 

[Shadow_Tempest]

Dialog is easy to read and a good way to pad your word count, but if you want to write a good story that's both enjoyable and meaningful, you need to balance both.

Whichever is most suitable for transitions, exposition, or moving the plot along.

Either can accomplish what I had mentioned.

I found that readers tend to see overly descriptive sections of my own work to be less immersive, so I've changed things in my newer chapters to have my MC deliver some of the exposition or explanations so that it 'feels' more fluid and immersive when read.

I tend to read my own work as-if reading any other book when I perform my final edit before publishing, so I do agree with the criticism.

Of course, this immersion aspect is only really a problem when writing in 3rd person.

I find that in my own writing I tend to have scenes of description and scenes of dialogue, so I try as hard as I can to even it at least a little. During the dialogue scenes fit in some description, and during the descriptions scenes fit in some dialogue.

Thank you folks

 

[K5Rakitan]

I worry about having too much dialogue since my elementary school teachers would make us write stories where we were only allowed to have one line of dialogue or no dialogue at all.

 

[Stratothrax]

Mix for sure, too much of either is exhausting

 

[BenJepheneT]

Sometimes descriptions can work best for miniature moments of scenery or as a form of introduction to a new place. Like looking at the city skyline down the mountain, or a sea of pulsating neons advertising adultery in the Red Light District, putrid with the smell akin to dry squid that the character knows EXACTLY what it is.

I find dialogue to work best in key narrative moments. I usually leave the emotions to dialogue, or key reveals to simple one line paragraphs followed by dialogue. It is during these times when less is more.

So it's not really a form of finding the right balance but rather, doing the right thing at the right time. You might find a need to have a heavily descriptive piece and see a whole chapter full of short quippy dialogue instead.