Writing Tips - Adding Detail to A Story

[officialue]

Recently I've been looking back through one of my stories and I just feel like there's an element missing. I don't know if it's because I don't have enough detail in my fight scenes, or I'm bad at describing scenery, or what my characters look like, but it's like the flare that usually makes good stories come alive isn't there in mine.

I'm heavily inspired by light novels like Re:Zero, when I read them I can feel myself getting immersed into those worlds and it pretty much feels like I'm there. But with my own work it just...doesn't translate from my head to the page.

Does anyone have any advice? Like are there certain terms I should use that would make my work feel more immersive? If you have any tips PLEASE help me out

 

[Maple-Leaf]

*sits down*

Well comrade, I guess we should just wait for the professionals to roll in huh?

 

[officialue]

*sits down*

Well comrade, I guess we should just wait for the professionals to roll in huh?

I guess so

 

[Maple-Leaf]

 

[Ryudo1701]

*pulls a chair and sits down*
feeling like my fighting scenes are rewinding themselves partly each time, new perspectives on details could help
But what I'm trying to do is writing down anything and see what's working

 

[Lazy_Acorn]

I guess I'll sit down and wait here too

 

[officialue]

Alright, gang's all here. Now we just need someone to actually help us.

 

[Maple-Leaf]

*sips tea*

This might take a while.

 

[Farok]

Yo, I wouldn't call myself a professional but I don't consider myself bad either.

For me one of the most important things would be the vocabulary, being able to describe something precisely adds
value, to say that something is beautiful or big is easy, but in my opinion, it is more important to describe why this thing is beautiful.

Recently I started to read Blue Core, and I was very impressed with the level of detail of the story, every important scene is described at length and precisely so that the reader has a perfect mental picture of what is happening.

This is why, in my opinion, vocabulary is very important, although you also have to know when to use it.

Also, I would add that it is sometimes important to take your time during a description, it is perhaps easier or more satisfying to quickly write a description but sometimes taking the time to sit down and think about how to highlight a place can be fruitful.

I don't count the number of times I've spent hours on a single sentence just because it didn't feel right, it only takes one word or a different turn of phrase to make a paragraph whole looks much better.

I hope that was helpful. (Sorry for any mistakes)

 

[officialue]

THANK YOUUU
you have no idea how helpful this was

 

[OvidLemma]

I'll second what Farok said and add something else. What Farok was emphasizing here is mostly word choice, which is absolutely important. However, knowing what to describe is just as important as how you describe it. We aren't painting pictures or taking photographs here, we're writing. If you want to bore your readers and pad your word count, you can exhaustively detail everything that's there in your mind's eye. And that will be dreadfully boring. A little detail goes a long way. If you have dialog between two characters sitting outside, add a few little environmental details.

"Mind if I sit here?" Tim asked.
"Go ahead," Mandy said. The marble of the bench was cool beneath her palms.
"So, uh...I guess we're all worried about Hal."
"Yeah," Mandy said. She looked out across the campus, golden light streaming through the trees. "Do you know if he'll be okay?"
Tim shrugged. "The doctors say he'll pull through. I'm not sure what that means."
"Me either."
They sat there in silence for a moment. The cool autumn breeze rustled the leaves.
"Let me know if you find out anything else," she said.
Tim stuffed his hands in his pockets and stood to leave. "Yeah. I just wish I new what the hell he was even thinking."

With just a little detail, you can provide information about the physical actions of the characters and their environment to paint a slightly-awkward conversation between two acquaintances on a campus in the autumn. After a certain point, adding more detail and description provides you with diminishing returns. So you need some detail. You need adequate detail. But don't overdo it, either.

 

[Necariin]

I agree with OvidLemma.

A reader will fill in a LOT of details in their own mind, your job as an author is to jump-start their imaginations. I use more detail only when I want to clarify something. Typically that is at the beginning of a scene, either to establish physical details or a mood.

In fight scenes, in order to keep the pace frantic I try to use description sparingly, unless it's an important action or a lull in the rhythm of the fight.

Word choice is also very important, but I've found it's mostly about that rhythm of your scene. Pauses and pans, if you think of it like a movie. Where does the camera linger? What does it pass over as mundane and everyday?

 

[BenJepheneT]

I don't have much to add, but the way I detail my scenes isn't how it looks but how it feels, instead.

Describing a coffee shop by detailing everything in the coffee shop is boring, for me at least. Describing a coffee shop akin to a warm cottage of sweet confectioneries and watery coffee lets the readers fill the picture themselves, allowing them to engage with both the setting and their imagination at the same time.

Bottom line is: don't make your setting read like an architectural plan. Make your setting read like your reader's there to experience it.

 

[gaylolis]

i just write everything i find interesting and ignore everything else, or just go with 'the usual, like in other novels' :D /

 

[NotYourTypicalMan]

My fighting scene standard is Wuxia/Xianxia style...

 

[Aleth08]

Tho I'm no expert, I've recently started reading published books and watched several helpful vids on youtube. From that, my writing has changed drastically.
So, my advice would be describe something without making it too complicated. Many authors have the bad habit of using purple prose; dont do this. Remember that you are not writing a text book, or a beautiful poem. You are essentially conveying the story to your readers. There's nothing better for that than what your readers understand easily and create a picture in their minds. In fact, using simple words that are more common is better cuz u wont lose your readers and they wont have to go look it up on google every time.
Also, some more advice I can give regarding writing, that I've come to learn, would be: dont use passive voice, change it to active, all of them; dont use filters, like 'he felt, he saw, he knew, he realized, he decided etc.'; dont use adverbs where its not needed, like quickly, softly, fairly, etc., instead use stronger verbs; dont use sudden(ly); dont use 'just'; dont use 'somehow, almost, rather, seem, definitely, somewhat'; dont use redundant phrases like, final outcome etc; and finally, the dialogue tags -- dont use fancy words for every dialogues. In fact, dont use anything for the most part. If you have to use something, use 'said'. Also, differentiate between action tags and dialogue tags.

Well, that is it. I'm pretty sure many authors already knew of all this. I've also come to learn of all this and am still learning and getting better.

 

[Maple-Leaf]

Tho I'm no expert, I've recently started reading published books and watched several helpful vids on youtube. From that, my writing has changed drastically.
So, my advice would be describe something without making it too complicated. Many authors have the bad habit of using purple prose; dont do this. Remember that you are not writing a text book, or a beautiful poem. You are essentially conveying the story to your readers. There's nothing better for that than what your readers understand easily and create a picture in their minds. In fact, using simple words that are more common is better cuz u wont lose your readers and they wont have to go look it up on google every time.
Also, some more advice I can give regarding writing, that I've come to learn, would be: dont use passive voice, change it to active, all of them; dont use filters, like 'he felt, he saw, he knew, he realized, he decided etc.'; dont use adverbs where its not needed, like quickly, softly, fairly, etc., instead use stronger verbs; dont use sudden(ly); dont use 'just'; dont use 'somehow, almost, rather, seem, definitely, somewhat'; dont use redundant phrases like, final outcome etc; and finally, the dialogue tags -- dont use fancy words for every dialogues. In fact, dont use anything for the most part. If you have to use something, use 'said'. Also, differentiate between action tags and dialogue tags.

Well, that is it. I'm pretty sure many authors already knew of all this. I've also come to learn of all this and am still learning and getting better.

 

[Ophious]

So basically, in summary, it's like that quote a picture describes a thousand words but do the opposite? Use a thousand words to paint a picture for your readers?

 

[officialue]

Tho I'm no expert, I've recently started reading published books and watched several helpful vids on youtube. From that, my writing has changed drastically.
So, my advice would be describe something without making it too complicated. Many authors have the bad habit of using purple prose; dont do this. Remember that you are not writing a text book, or a beautiful poem. You are essentially conveying the story to your readers. There's nothing better for that than what your readers understand easily and create a picture in their minds. In fact, using simple words that are more common is better cuz u wont lose your readers and they wont have to go look it up on google every time.
Also, some more advice I can give regarding writing, that I've come to learn, would be: dont use passive voice, change it to active, all of them; dont use filters, like 'he felt, he saw, he knew, he realized, he decided etc.'; dont use adverbs where its not needed, like quickly, softly, fairly, etc., instead use stronger verbs; dont use sudden(ly); dont use 'just'; dont use 'somehow, almost, rather, seem, definitely, somewhat'; dont use redundant phrases like, final outcome etc; and finally, the dialogue tags -- dont use fancy words for every dialogues. In fact, dont use anything for the most part. If you have to use something, use 'said'. Also, differentiate between action tags and dialogue tags.

Well, that is it. I'm pretty sure many authors already knew of all this. I've also come to learn of all this and am still learning and getting better.

hmm....

im probably gonna have to delete what i have so far and start all over then

 

[Aleth08]

hmm....

im probably gonna have to delete what i have so far and start all over then

Just make improvements on what you write from now on. Mine was really bad. But its a process you have to go through if you want to improve. So I've also left the earlier chs as is and focusing on writing good for future chs.