Free writing tip: “How much description is too much?”
Alle responds to a reader’s question
The sure sign of a writer who has not yet found his footing with a character, a chapter, and/or a story is an info dump: too much backstory or too much description. On a publishing note, agents and editors will spot that flaw in a heartbeat. In all likelihood, their reading of your manuscript will halt then and there.
From a reader’s perspective: they glaze over when info-dumped on, and swiftly become a former reader,
There is no algorithm as to how much description or backstory is the right amount. The amount must vary: sentence to sentence, graph to graph, chapter to chapter. However, over and over, I find that the less I use, the better. Get into the scene, say as little as possible to meet the scene’s objective, and get out of Dodge.
How To:
- Dialogue tags: Cut “(So-and-so) said, (Blah blab bla)” in favor of character-developing, forward moving action. Example:
- Rather than: Avery said, “She passed out from pain.” He plunged a slim, self-retaining retractor into the bulb that had been Sri’s nose.
- Try: “She passed out from pain.” Avery plunged a slim, self-retaining retractor into the bulb that had been Sri’s nose.
2. Group like things: all credit due E.B. White for this idea. Apply it to dialogue, to characters’ actions, and to description. You will quickly see where you are repetitive. Choose the best sentence or two and cut-cut-cut the rest.
3. Keep files of “cut” material: Save the cuts in a file you’ve titled “Description of (name of character)” or the like. Over the course of a short story or chapter, certainly over the course of a novel, you will have many opportunities to drop in one sentence of description and/or backstory. This technique is a more subtle and effective way to build the readers’ understanding of the characters and the story.
