Honing Your Descriptive Skills

Description. It's that one thing that almost all of us as writers struggle with. How much is too much? And how much is not enough? There's a fine line between lack of description and sensory overload. I suppose it all depends on your personal preference. Are you a person who likes simple prose, or do you like the classics with the pages and pages of description?

While there's no right or wrong opinion, there are, however, instances such as lack and overkill.

Description is key to keeping your readers hooked, yet it can also drive them away. Some people tend to go overboard with the description, at times even to the point where readers skip parts or even put the book down. Obviously, avoid this at all costs. If you have too much description, yet you're too proud of all your hard work to just toss it out, you can always add it in later. 

The worst times to add too much description is during crucial parts in the plot. Well, I guess to much description is worst anywhere. But if you're working on a part that you really want to grip attention, use less description about the surroundings, and more about the objects. Sure, you want the readers to use their imagination and feel like they're inside the book. Sure, description is good—even necessary. But while your protagonists are fighting off dragons, don't be describing the scenery.  Don't describe the beautiful countryside; describe the intense duel to which the peaceful valley lay oblivious. Describe the dragon's fiery eyes, its slimy scales that remind your protagonist of their dead pet fish, its claws that flashed in the moonlight and reflected off your protagonist's sword. Mention the smooth or rough stones underfoot, but don't describe them in such detail that it takes away from the main plot. The story is about moving, living things, not a stationary bunch of rocks. 

Your job as a writer is to set the location in the reader's mind before the crucial scene. While your protagonist makes his/her way to the dragon's lair, describe the salty breeze in their face that blew in from the turbulent sea that lay beyond the lush green valley. The valley surrounded by a breathtaking view of mountains that belied the treachery beyond. The valley that nestled a small, quaint village in which small children played with peals of laughter that echoed off the valley walls. Don't confuse your reader with so much description that they forget what's happening in the plot, and for heaven's sake don't put so much that they skip to find juicy tidbits. It's like tightrope walking. Only different.

Always reread to find places to add description. Even if it's just an adjective or two here and there, finding little places to make more descriptive brings the scene to life. "She climbed the wall with a rope" could be changed to "She quickly climbed the rough, crumbling wall, grasping the rope in a vicelike grip." Or even, "She slowly climbed the brick wall, gloved fingers gripping the rope as if her life depended on it." It's up to you to create the vision you want in the minds of everyone who read it.

As you probably already know, repetition is a big no-no. Work on your vocabulary. Read the dictionary through if it suits your fancy. Keep a thesaurus next to you. Work on those synonyms.

Analogies make spot-on description. It gives the readers something to compare the object to, something tangible and relatable to use as a reference point. Stop calling the trees 'green'. Some are green, some are emerald, and some, in strong winds, resemble the sea on a stormy day. Snow isn't just pure white; it covers the landscape in a blanket that sparkles like diamonds glittering in the sunlight.

How well are your descriptive skills? Do you tend to go overboard, or are you one of those people that struggle with having enough?

You Might be a Writer If...

As a writer, have you ever thought that you're probably the only person out there that has the same habits or tendencies as you?

No, my friend, you are not.

Whether you can relate to this list or not, you should probably at least get a kick out of this glimpse into a writer's irregular lifestyle.  Whether you write historical or fantasy, there should be something in here for you all to relate to!

You might be a writer if you have a weird dream and automatically plot it into a book in your mind. 

You might be a writer if you see a random person on the street and think, "hey, they look just like one of my characters!"

You might be a writer if everything you do can be explained with three words: "It's for research."

You might be a writer if one of your greatest dreams is to meet your favorite author.

You might be a writer if your search history would cause a good amount of concern.

You might be a writer if you get so engrossed in writing a scene that you actually forget to eat.

You might be a writer if pounding your head on your keyboard is a normal occurrence.

You might be a writer if the main thing you spend money on is books.

You might be a writer if you imagine yourself as a bestselling author before your plot even hits paper.

You might be a writer if you crush on your own creations.

You might be a writer if depression is often the result of a sudden plot twist that you can't figure out how to incorporate into your story.

You might be a writer if you decline to attend social events not because you wish to be a hermit, but because it conflicts with your writing time. But sometimes it really is because you want to be a hermit.

You might be a writer if you talk to your characters out loud.

You might be a writer if the best plot ideas come either while you're in bed, in the shower, or when there's no way to write it down.

You might be a writer if you keep awake at night, trying to solve your characters' problems before you go to sleep.

You might be a writer if you talk about your characters as if they're real people, often confusing the people you talk to. (Unless, y'know, you're talking to a fellow writer)

You might be a writer if you hear or see something while out in public and immediately think, "Oh, I should write a story about that sometime."

You might be a writer if there are more unfinished stories on your computer than there are shirts in your closet.

You might be a writer if your favorite subject to talk about with fellow writers is comparing WIPs.

You might be a writer if you don't like the way a sentence is phrased in a book so you mentally reword it to what you would've done. Or the entire ending, when worst comes to worst.

You might be a writer if you secretly compare your writing to popular stories.

You might be a writer if the greatest compliment you ever received was to be compared to your favorite author.

You might be a writer if you practice your signature for when your fans line up to get your autographs. Y'know, for the future.

You might be a writer if you have inspiring quotes from famous authors posted all around your workspace.

You might be a writer if, when asked what your profession is, you think (without actually saying out loud, of course), "Well, if being an author actually supported me financially, that'd be it."

You might be a writer if Pinterest is your greatest source of inspiration.

You might be a writer if you wish you had an old, aesthetic typewriter.

You might be a writer if killing characters is only acceptable in your own story.

You might be a writer if you hear a song and nod, thinking how well it fits your character's background.

You might be a writer if someday, you just know your book is going to be made into a movie.  Someday.

Yes, writers are certainly unique. Did you relate to any of these?

5 Royalty-Free Photo Sites

As a graphic designer with a budget, I'm constantly on the lookout for free photos. Sometimes I'll use my own photos, but my subjects are limited, as are my photography skills. So for me, royalty-free photo websites are a life-saver. If you're a fellow designer, you understand the struggle of finding the perfect photo for your project! For me, the biggest issue is finding a royalty-free photo without any strings attached. I prefer to find pictures without any attribution requirements, and finding one without requirements that fits my purposes makes things even more complicated. But I've compiled a list of royalty-free photo sites for your (and my) benefit.

Each photo is from the featured site, font added by yours truly.

StockSnap.io

Pexels

Pixabay

Unsplash

Flickr

I hope I've now broadened your horizons when it comes to finding free photos!
What's your favorite site?

New Year's Resolutions for Writers

Happy New Year!

Right about now is the time that everyone is creating their new year's resolutions. Writers, of course, really aren't that different from normal people. I mean, aside from the fact that our imaginations are on overdrive, we strategize plots while staring at random people (but we don't realize we're staring until we've already be noticed), and our Christmas lists consist mainly of books, pens, pencils, notebooks, etc., we're just like everyone else. Right?

Well, maybe we're a unique breed. But still.

So, while 'normal' people are making their resolutions, what kind of resolutions do writers make? Well, I'm certainly not an expert. But here are a few ideas that may give you insight and inspiration.

1. Have a daily, monthly or yearly quota. Now, this may be very small for some, yet a huge amount for others.  That's okay—customize it to fit your schedule and preferences. But just 100 words a day would get you to 35,600 words in a year—that's a novella. If you were to crank out 500 words every day? That makes a whopping 178,000. That could get you two or three novels. In one year.  Even just 50 words per day is progress if you've got a tight schedule. A good way to stimulate this is to put that one book you're just dying to read in view, and then don't let yourself read it until you've met your quota.

2. No writing until chores are finished. Now, this may be a no-brainer. But really, who doesn't procrastinate their work at some point by writing? I'm one of those people who will probably let a lunch-dirtied kitchen set dirty for a couple hours after the meal is finished because I really don't want to get out of my chair to clean it. I mean, writing. It's kind of demanding. So this would actually be a good resolution for me to follow...

3. Go old-school: use a notebook regularly. I don't mean just for random plot bunnies that hop into your mind or good quotes you want to use in your WIP.  I mean for writing. Noveling (I don't even think that's a word... #sorrynotsorry). Write dialogue and description and... a book. By hand. In this day and age, I don't think we appreciate the writer's cramp that people went through before computers were a thing. Not to mention it's a great resolution to make if you're trying to have less screen time.

4. Blog. Now, for some, this isn't possible, and that's okay.  But for people like me that do blog, it's actually got several positives. For one thing, it gathers for you a following of people, and this will come in handy when you publish that dandy WIP sitting in your closet. For another, it helps you connect with other writers, and introduces you to great communities. Even if you can only blog once every couple of weeks, it's also a great way to actually write. You could add blog content to your daily word quota.

5. Venture into a new genre. Whether it be a little-known genre or just new-to-you, stepping out of your comfort zone and level of expertise is a good resolution for a writer to make. Not only does it make your resumé that much more impressive, it also broadens your horizons—and knowledge.  No matter what genre it is, it's going to take research.  Plus, it inflates your audience.

Do you have any writing resolutions? What's your favorite? How are they working for you so far?