Writing 101

descriptions.

now, these are crazy finicky.

too much leaves your reader drowning in foncy language and an overload of adjectives. too less leaves them floundering like a fish in an empty tank.

it's gotta be just right.

it's a hard line to tread, but i'd like to think i've trod it often enough to know it well.

the key, dear reader, is practice. and precision.

"miyu, what the heck do you mean by precision? it makes no sense."

( ikr. it's weird. )

but!! it's got a purpose. and my goal here is to help you see that purpose.

first, one simple question, which i'd like you to answer in the comments.

what is the purpose of a description, to you?

go on, don't be shy, talk to me please.

well.

to me, descriptions are all about helping the reader see what you're trying to say, instead of telling them.

to help them see, you need to describe it to them just enough. to the point where they can easily picture what you're showing them in your head, but at the same time leave room for imagination to play around.

it's your job, as the writer, to provide that playground to your readers. you need to be able to do exactly that with your descriptions, to convey what you want the reader to be able to see.

what is also very important is using descriptions at the right time.

DON'TS: using an overflux of adjectives with quite literally every other sentence.

for example, this : ( which is my writing, just in case you were wondering )

Bakugou's long, dirty, sharp crescent-shaped nails dug into the naturally thick skin of his palms, causing a sharp burst of pain to shoot through his arms, leaving his hands tingling unpleasantly as he surveyed the silhouette of the man standing before him with angry crimson eyes that plainly showed the fury he carried inside. The lithe but middle-aged man adjusted his long, dirty, off-white, scarf from where it hung limply around his neck, like a smelted snakeskin.  The young teenager continued glaring at his teacher as the man continued boring his gaze into the former's blood-red irises.

don't try to tell me that was good - because it wasn't, and that's the point i'm trying to make. there were waaaay too many adjectives and i restated everything more than once - something that definitely wasn't necessary.

be concise with your words - keep them to the point, but at the same time don't cut out the absolutely necessary bits.

DO's: use a decent balance of description and dialogue. even it all out. like this :

Bakugou's fists were clenched - untrimmed nails digging into the thick skin of his palms. They weren't drawing blood, but he knew that he'd find crescent-shaped marks imprinted on them for hours afterwards. "What's the point you're tryin' to make? Spit it out already."

see what i'm doing here?

i'm not naturally attuned to description. i'm better when it comes to dialogue, or playful banter. but i know that at least i can write descriptions.

some basic rules to follow when it comes to descriptions:

1. the rule of three.

    keep the number of adjectives per item/person to a maximum of three. up till then, it sounds      good. anything after that is just plain overdone.

2. don't repeat yourself.

      self - explanatory.

3. focus more on what it is, rather than what's happening.

    try to freeze the scene in your head, and then describe that one picture as you see fit.

4. don't tell the reader what's happening. show them.

   don't just leave it to their imagination - show them what you're trying to convey.

and uh yeah also have fun. that's important - to enjoy what you're doing, or it'll just become a chore. who would want something they do to pass time to become a chore?