Writing tips- Describing scenery, places, character's appearance, etc

[JDC_OnPaper]

So I'm just knew in writing and in this website, but I, Myself, was able to write a story, more or less, but whenever I read my chapters that involves places and scenery, heck even the character appearance, I couldn't like describe it or visualize like what I initially planned or hoped

Tbh, Even I question myself, I wanted it to describe it so my readers would be able to visualize what I wanted to be visualize.

Overall, I suck at descripting or describing appearances and scenery.

Does anyone have any tips or advice?

 

[Deleted member 45782]

I saw this on writing subreddit and i agree. maybe try recording yourself describing how you think it would look? ik sometimes when i write, it doesn't turn out the same way I imagined it. its maybe more easier to talk it aloud then to think and craft thevisualizations down in writing.

 

[LotsChrono]

So I'm just knew in writing and in this website, but I, Myself, was able to write a story, more or less, but whenever I read my chapters that involves places and scenery, heck even the character appearance, I couldn't like describe it or visualize like what I initially planned or hoped

Tbh, Even I question myself, I wanted it to describe it so my readers would be able to visualize what I wanted to be visualize.

Overall, I suck at descripting or describing appearances and scenery.

Does anyone have any tips or advice?

For characters: You want to describe about 3 things at a first impression. Their overall build; bulky, thin, etc. Their look; what they're wearing, their hair, their eyes, and whatnot. And something unique to them more than others; maybe this character has abs? Maybe this character always has a cheeky grin on their face? Maybe this person has a scar? Missing an eye?

For scenery: I usually ground myself from the perspective of one character and describe what would jump out to that individual, not forgetting the basics of the basics, the environment as a whole. Like say, for example, if my main character is a car enthusiast, what he'd notice most is the cars in the scene. Yet, if you're writing fantasy, most things are 'new' to the individual, so you can usually just focus on what you think is important. Of course, never forgetting the environment as a whole. "The place was a slum, trash littered it, and shacks stood shaking in the wind," is how you would describe the environment as a whole, "She spotted a broken down vehicle and two boys fighting with one another, fists bloodying" is how you would expand and specify.

 

[Leti]

If you're not sure about how to describe something, just describe the most important things about it and let the readers use their imagination to complete the description. As a reader, I personally thought adding too many details to a description could be overwhelming. Especially if the writer used an entire paragraph just to describe something that can be visualized in under one sentence. Keep it clear and compact. Good luck and have fun!

 

[ForestDweller]

Urgh, I kept feeling that my descriptions are inadequate. For Japanese webnovels, sparse description is common and expected, but if I'm going to go after the higher level of English novels, I still need to improve my prose. I could sit on it for days to really make it juicy and succulent, but I don't have the patience for that and neither do my readers.

Edit:
A good way to see whether your prose is sufficient might be Wordcount.net where it can tell you the level of writing you want to go after. Novels I like are usually at 11-12th grade level while my own is around 6-9th grade level.

 

[someonesomeguy]

Use goggle images and try to describe it in a way that you could redraw it

 

[jabathehut]

So I'm just knew in writing and in this website, but I, Myself, was able to write a story, more or less, but whenever I read my chapters that involves places and scenery, heck even the character appearance, I couldn't like describe it or visualize like what I initially planned or hoped

Tbh, Even I question myself, I wanted it to describe it so my readers would be able to visualize what I wanted to be visualize.

Overall, I suck at descripting or describing appearances and scenery.

Does anyone have any tips or advice?

Describes how it connects to the senses(sight, smell, touch, sound, others) and how the character perceives it

 

[iamaducklingwriter]

Lmao, I can relate.

How I describe the sky: The sky looks dark. It will rain.

Quack, I need to learn more words.

 

[Pujimaki]

Well, I'm not a native so my vocabulary is mediocre. As for describing, I always added the color description then the actual appearance or size of it. Such as ' Her auburn hair swayed because of the strong gust of wind.'

 

[yansusustories]

If you have trouble visualizing it, search for pictures that come close to what you want to describe. In fact, it might be good to save them for future reference as well. For the actual writing of the description, details are good in general. So you'd want to mention very specific things about the character/place. Like, think of descriptions you've read (or even things you've seen): What stays with about a character is likely to be things like very prominent scars (especially facial scarring), untypical hair or eye colors, an especially big nose, or pointy ears. Same with places just that it might be more difficult to pinpoint what exactly is 'special' about them. I'd recommend taking a look at some texts about architecture if you struggle with that.
What I think is also important to keep in mind is that there can be something like a too much of details: There comes a point where the reader starts to skip especially if there are long descriptions because the details don't seem as important anymore. So keep it to two, maybe three points, and then go on your merry way. If other things are important about the character/place, you can still add that later. That way, the old information has already been stored in readers' mind, and the new information can be added on more easily.

Naturally, exceptions apply. I mean, I once spent a full 1k word-chapter describing the appearance of a character with several paragraphs dedicated to his hair alone. But that was the exception to the rule because it was actually done by another character. So: Also keep the PoV in mind. If it's an unrelated narrator, it might work differently from when a character does the description. Different characters might also notice different things about others.

 

[K5Rakitan]

If you have trouble visualizing it, search for pictures that come close to what you want to describe.

Yes, I second that! Google image search is your friend.

 

[yansusustories]

Yes, I second that! Google image search is your friend.

Oh, also! Especially when it's about places, I think that watching a movie or series can be a good idea. Like, the ones where you get to see different rooms in a house or an overview of some cultivation sect in a xianxia series? I think that's a good place to start from and then you can look for individual details of buildings by looking for specific images.

 

[FADEX]

So I'm just knew in writing and in this website, but I, Myself, was able to write a story, more or less, but whenever I read my chapters that involves places and scenery, heck even the character appearance, I couldn't like describe it or visualize like what I initially planned or hoped

Tbh, Even I question myself, I wanted it to describe it so my readers would be able to visualize what I wanted to be visualize.

Overall, I suck at descripting or describing appearances and scenery.

Does anyone have any tips or advice?

Put yourself in the characters shoes and wonder about what you would would feel, see, hear and experience if you were standing in the exact spot they were. If you're only seeing 'blank', fill it in with something interesting until you get to your destination.

Example:

“XX walked down the street to arrive at the garden. The flowers and trees were so beautiful.”

BECOMES

“XX walked down the street. They saw a boy that looked their age. Was he a schoolmate? They couldn't remember. XX brought down the hand that was about to wave and hopped over a crack in the pavement. They ignored the street signs because they had walked this road many times before, and soon they arrived at the garden.

XX saw their favorite flowers first before noticing that the golden gates to the garden were wide open. The air smelt like a floral mix of everything good in the world. Petals decorated the path in every color of the rainbow. Everything was so beautiful.”

[Senses used: Sight and smell]
[Past memory used as experience]

Pretend like your story is real life and you are the character living it. You have eyes to see. Ears to hear. A nose to smell and a tongue to taste.

Put at least two senses into each scene you're describing and your readers will be able to get a good picture.

That's it for scenery.

To describe appearances.... There are 2 general routes: being stereotypical and being detailed.

Stereotypical (generic descriptions that use stereotypes):

1). They looked angelic with blonde hair and blue eyes and a charming smile... [blonde hair and blue/green eyes is mainstream]

2). They had asian eyes/They had crescents for eyes/Their eyes disappeared when they smiled

3). Their skin was pale like they had never seen the sun/ Their skin was tan like they had spent all summer playing outside/ They were pale-skinned/They were dark-skinned

4). They looked Asian/American/African/European

Detailed (explain what the character looks like/ try not to info dump):

1). Describe skin color creatively. From cream to alabaster to milk chocolate to dark chocolate to brown, etc.

2). Readers aren't experts about the shape of the eyes so use 'color + adjectives + imagery/memory' to make them more memorable. “He had kind green eyes. Green like the emerald sea behind him.” “Her eyes were a shade of red that filled me with warmth and reminded me of the hibiscuses my mother used to leave me every Wednesday.”

3). Length and color for hair, basically.

... A character's description can use stereotypes and detail simultaneously. It's all up to the author. Though, some people find stereotypes offensive so take note of that!

Too much description is a bad thing because the point of reading is to use your imagination to see a story. Things should be left vague enough for the reader to be able to personalize the story. (I hardly remember the color of my characters' eyes unless it's important to the plot so I can only imagine how stressful it can be for readers to remember every detail)

Hope this helps!