Smart Girls Read Romance -- so do the bestselling and award-winning Authors who write this blog.
Join them as they dish about Books, Romance, Love, and Life.






Friday, March 20, 2015

Details, Details, Details

By Sandra Nachlinger

We’ve all heard “God is in the details,” and I believe that’s particularly true for writers.  Descriptions are so much more interesting when specifics are used, rather than broad general terms. For example:


BORING: His blue eyes were cold.

The description Joan Reeves writes in APRIL FOOL BRIDE says so much more. 
     Jake’s eyes had always made her think of the deepest part of the ocean. They still reminded her of the ocean. The one around Antarctica. No warmth or friendliness shone in their dark blue depths.

HO-HUM: He propped his feet on her desk.

In TASTING TEXAS, Kimmie Easley's description lets us know just how big Wren's feet are! 

     Wren took the smile as an invite as he slunk down in a chair across from her desk and propped his size fourteens up on a stack of invoices.

BLAH: Her hair was a mess.

Elly’s appearance in BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY isn't exactly what she wished it had been when Derek dropped by. 

     She wore not a smidgen of makeup, not even lipstick. She’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tied it with a shoelace hours before, and she knew it probably stuck out like a bouquet of thistles by now.

I hope you enjoyed the examples I’ve given here and will find more details to enjoy in the next book you read (or write!)


Find these books on Amazon and from other booksellers:
APRIL FOOL BRIDE (All Brides Are Beautiful Book 1) by Joan Reeves
TASTING TEXAS (The Tasting Series Book 1) by Kimmie Easley
BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY by Sandra Nachlinger

11 comments:

  1. Very interesting post! Since I am a reader, I did not realize what a description can do. I just know I like to read some authors better than others. Now I know why!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the post, Karren. Until I started writing, I didn't realize how much craft that went into the art of writing. Good description is just one element in creating a compelling story.

      Delete
  2. Lovely post well written, Sandra. Great examples.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great examples, Sandy. Carefully used description adds color, over used and the reader moves on to another author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, Cynthia. I agree. I tend to skim over extra-long passages of description.

      Delete
  4. Interesting examples of how to add depth to a sentence :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful post! Thanks so much. I shared it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sandra, I'm flattered that you included a bit of description from April Fool Bride. enjoyed the other examples. Writing description can be so much fun, can't it?

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting on Smart Girls Read Romance. We love readers and love their comments. We apologize that due to a few unethical spammers we've had to institute comment moderation. Please be patient with us... we DO want your genuine comments!