Creative Narrative - A Description EXERCISE

Creative Narrative
A Description Exercise.

DESCRIPTION is the key to fleshing out ANY scene if you want the Reader to see in their minds the scene you envisioned when you wrote it.

Especially Sex Scenes.

Don't just call it 'juice'...

Describe HOW the moisture Looks while sliding in slender rivulets down the inside of her thigh, THEN describe how it feels physically, THEN how the character feels emotionally about the fact that they're dripping from excitement.

1. What it Looks & Feels like physically.
2. How they Feel about it emotionally.

You have FIVE senses -- USE THEM:
Texture, Flavor, Appearance, Sound, Aroma

The glistening moisture slid in slender rivulets down the inside of her thigh. The coolness of the moisture tickled in contrast to the warmth of her skin. Because her skirt was so short, her excitement was clearly visible to anyone who happened to be looking. Her cheeks filled with embarrassed warmth and she lowered her gaze, not wanting to know who might be staring at her, aware that she was aroused. 

"So how do you DO that sort of writing?"

The same way you do anything; you PRACTICE. 


Exercise in Writing DESCRIPTION

Stage 1:

Watch a Movie

 

 For this exercise, you will need the movie Sin City. If you don't have it, The Matrix or Equilibrium will do.

• WATCH the movie undisturbed from beginning to end.
• NO INTERRUPTIONS.

Watch where the Camera looks. ​

Sin City in particular is a brilliant example of how to describe using pictures. The movie is filmed in black and white with splashes of color only where the viewer's eye needs to be.

When a character is first introduced, LOOK at how the camera starts in Close Focus then pulls back to reveal the character's body; lovingly showing the viewer exactly what the character looks like, AND their distinguishing characteristics from top to bottom.

THEN the view expands wider, or pans around the character to disclose where that character is and what they are doing at that moment.

After those first few moments of sheer View, you get a narrative from the Point of View character, which may Not be the character the camera is showing you. You get the narrator's opinions, their feelings, and their delusions. THAT is how the viewer (the reader) learns about the character.

Once the movie is over, put on some music that fits the movie. (I actually have the soundtracks, to these.)

Next! Break out your remote control and Watch The Same Movie AGAIN -- but this time, with the volume OFF.

Sit on your couch and Out-Loud, Narrate what you are looking at. Do NOT Write anything.

Just talk to the TV screen Out Loud and Describe --in detail-- what you are looking at as though it was a book you were reading.

• Describe the Characters.
• Describe the Actions.
• Describe the Fight Scenes.
• Describe the Kisses.
• Describe the Backgrounds and Setting -- including the rooms and weather conditions!

Use your remote control and STOP the scene where you have difficulty describing what you are seeing. Work at it until the words come to you. They don't have to be perfect. CLOSE IS good enough for this exercise.

In a Nutshell:

• Describe Out-Loud what you SEE
• Do NOT Write anything down.
• Keep Going until the movie is Over.

This should help loosen up a few things in your writing mind -- and give you some strong visuals to write from later.

Next!

Stage 2:

Write a 1000 word Scene that introduces a character of YOURS.

 

Make sure you picture the scene in your mind with the same dramatic camera angles and close-ups the movie and Describe it so that anyone Reading it can clearly see it.

Compare that scene with any introductory scene in a story you've already written and SEE the difference.

Just so you know, this is an exercise I created to make my own writing more Visual back when I first started writing. The movie I used was "The Lost Boys", the original 1984 version. It really helped my ability to describe in my stories.

Enjoy!

Morgan Hawke

Writing Adventures ~ A Summary

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Writing Emotions VISUALLY

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Is DESCRIPTION Really Needed?

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Tricks to Tight 'Sneaky' DESCRIPTION

A handful of well-placed descriptive words sprinkled here and there, really enriches an otherwise blank blue-screen imagination -- without beating the reader over the head. This is how I do it--

DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.

How would you convey what is happening in this picture?
How would you describe this character?
- Her actions?
- Her setting?
- Her mood?​

If you want to write Fiction with clarity, Visualize what is happening in your head. Play the scene out in your imagination just like a movie. If it shows up in your mind's eye - it belongs on the page.

However...

Descriptive ASSUMPTIONS.

Normally, description-less fiction is Not what the writer intended. Usually it's a case of oversight, an assumption. The writer saw the scene in their head and jotted down a few lines that trigger the mental picture that they envisioned then assumed everyone reading those lines would see what they saw.

Guess what? They Didn't.

The Reader always sees what They want to see
- unless you SHOW them what You envisioned. ​

• They fought, and it was glorious.

I can guarantee that no two readers (or writers,) saw what I envisioned when I wrote those words.

The writer's job is to SHOW the fighting and Convince the reader that it was glorious without actually Telling them. You have to Seduce the reader into getting excited, so they come out of the book thinking; "Wow that was so action-packed... It must have been glorious!"​

You don't need massive blocks of descriptive text to get your point across, but the reader Cannot See what the writer is trying to show them --pictures or feelings-- without descriptive cues, preferably Sneaky descriptive cues.

Getting the IMAGE on Paper​

Avoid Simple Nouns:

• The door.
• The car.
• The tree.
• The house.
• The sword.
• The dress,
• The hat.

Using a Specific Noun, rather than a simple and vague noun, automatically pops in description.

• The French doors.
• The Subaru.
• The oak.
• The Victorian cottage.
• The bastard sword.
• The evening gown.
• The fedora.

Adjectives are your Friend!
​

Adjectives give your objects and locations emotional flavor and impact. The trick is not to over-do it! Moderation - moderation - moderation.

One adjective per Noun:
Put in an Adjective in addition to a specific Noun.

• The ornate French doors.
• The rusty Subaru.
• The crooked oak.
• The dilapidated Victorian cottage.
• The bejeweled bastard sword.
• The shimmering evening gown.
• The grey fedora.

Two adjectives per Sensation:
Sight, Sound, Taste, Texture, Scent - are all perceived through the senses.

• The glaringly red French doors.
• The seductively throbbing jazz.
• The creamy bite of yogurt.
• The nubby white dishcloth.
• The pungent musk of wet dog.

The Not-So Dreaded -ly Words.​

Every once in a while you will hear someone whine that you shouldn't use words that end in -ly. The "No -ly words!" whiners are usually the same people that say: "Don't use Adjectives!" Think People! How the heck are you supposed to describe something without adjectives? You CAN'T.

The "No -ly Words" rule DOES NOT APPLY to Fiction!​

This rule comes from Basic School Grammar, grammar that was intended for NON-fiction, such as Reports and other boring description-less education-related or business-related writing. On the other hand, Fiction THRIVES on description!

Still Feeling Guilty?

If you can find another word that says the same thing without ending in -ly, use it. If you can't, then use what you have and don't worry about it.

Making the Reader FEEL the Passion
You want PASSION? Make the prose PURPLE!​

Seriously. Sensually-Descriptive and Erotically-charged words, AKA: purple prose, are the key to romantic and sexually-charged fiction. If it implies a Sense; sound, taste, sight, texture, scent, you're halfway there!

So, where do you get them there what's-it words?

From Trained Professionals: Other Writers. I pulled out my favorite trashy novels and hunted down phrases that really caught my attention and then I made a list of all the Pretty words.

salacious humor
carnal gratification
languorous bliss
shrieking culmination
disconcerting stimulation
brutal carnal rapture
exquisite torment
lustful cravings
irresolute yearning
skittish laughter

I also dug through my thesaurus and made another list of all the adjectives I use over and over and over...

Here's a sample:

Assault - attack, advancing, aggressive, assailing, charging, incursion, inundated, invasion, offensive, onset, onslaught, overwhelmed, ruinous, tempestuous, strike, violation,
​

Beautiful - admirable, alluring, angelic, appealing, bewitching, charming, dazzling, delicate, delightful, divine, elegant, enticing, exquisite, fascinating, gorgeous, graceful, grand, magnificent, marvelous, pleasing, radiant, ravishing, resplendent, splendid, stunning, sublime,
​

Dangerous - alarming, critical, fatal, formidable, impending, malignant, menacing, mortal, nasty, perilous, precarious, pressing, serious, terrible, threatening, treacherous, urgent, vulnerable, wicked,
​

Painful - aching, agonizing, arduous, awful, biting, burning, caustic, dire, distressing, dreadful, excruciating, extreme, grievous, inflamed, piercing, raw, sensitive, severe, sharp, tender, terrible, throbbing, tormenting,​

Okay you got your words! Now...

How & When to Describe it:​

Rule of Thumb #1:
-- The moment the POV Character notices it -- DESCRIBE IT!

Picture the scene in your head like a movie. If it shows up in your scene, it belongs on the page the instant you envision it.

Rule of Thumb #2:
-- Description should always reflect the OPINION of the Viewpoint Character.

• Sesame Street's Oscar the Grouch is not going to see - or describe - a field of roses the same way as Big Bird.
• Darth Vader's opinion (and description,) of Yoda is not going to resemble Luke Skywalker's.
• The Heroine isnot going to describe the Villain the same way she would her Hero, even if they are the same person.

Rule of Thumb #3
- Limit your detailed descriptions to stuff that is Relevant.

How do you tell what's relevant & what's not? How IMPORTANT is it to the story? Will this object/setting/character matter later?

• If it's Important, then describe it in loving detail.
• If it's only incidental, than only the tiniest sketch is needed.

Rule of Thumb #4
- Moderation! Moderation! Moderation!

Once you have described a setting or a person thoroughly, you don’t need to Keep Describing them -- unless they change. A small clue here and there, such as keeping to specific nouns, will do.

WHAT to Describe:​

Scenery

Every new scene should open with a snapshot of description that details the stage the action is about to happen in.

No more than 60 words max. If you need more than that to describe your setting - splice it into your Action.​

Location Changes

Every time the scenery changes: every new room, every new view, every new place they arrive at - gets described; so the reader can see it, and experience it too, but don't go overboard.

If your story is based in the normal contemporary world, what the Setting looks like only matters in their immediate location and how it affects them directly. For example, rain has more of an immediate effect on characters than would sunshine - unless they're a vampire.

Locations get 30 words max, because that's about how much the average person can catch in a single look. The rest of the details should be mixed in between the actions and dialogue as the character gets a better look around.
​

Note: Fantasy and Sci-Fi Require MORE Description.

In most sci-fi's and fantasies, the otherworldly SETTING is just as important as the characters because the differences between Fantasy & Reality actually affect the plot. For example, things that are possible in a Fantasy setting, but aren't in the normal world, and vice versa.

The snapshot at the beginning of every scene is still the same length (60 words) - but you have to continue to add more description as the characters move through the world.​

People

Think of how you see characters in a movie. THAT'S how you describe the people your character sees. Start at the top and describe down. Bottom to Top description implies that the Body is more important than the Mind. It implies that the viewer is looking for sex -- and nothing more.​

​

People get three whole sentences max. If you need more than three sentences, thread the rest in with the dialogue.​

Fan-Fiction Writers:

Fantasy Characters should get the opportunity to show off the full extent of their powers at least once near the Beginning of the story because those powers are relevant to who that character is and why they act as they do.​

Describing the Viewpoint Character
Yes or No? ​

YES! YES! YES! I don’t know about you, but when I’m reading a story, I wanna know whose head I'm in as soon as I'm in that head! And I want to know what that person LOOKS LIKE!

Viewpoint Characters only get three sentences just like any other person in the story.

Describing the Viewpoint Character is Tricky.
Literally. You have to use tricks to do it. ​

The simplest way to describe the POV character is by having them see their reflection -- which is also why it’s the most common technique. Try to avoid using mirrors if you can, but if that's all you have then use it.

The other way is by having the character ‘notice’ themselves, one little action at a time. This works best when the character is highly opinionated about their appearance.

EXAMPLE:

The delicately feminine gown strewn across the bed was exactly the type I would refuse to wear under any circumstances. To make matters worse, it was a horrifying shade of fairy-tale iridescent pink. I could not believe they actually expected someone as un-delicate and unfeminine as me to actually wear it – in public! Blue-eyed blonds with hoards of golden curls wore shiny pink gowns. Big strapping girls like me, with long pin-straight black hair and cat-green eyes wore dowdy blue dresses, usually with aprons over them.​

The trick I prefer to use is threading the Description into the character's Actions. Using their Actions brings other parts of the character into focus, rather than describe the character in one lump paragraph.


From: INSATIABLE

Good god in heaven, this guy wants sex? With her? Was he out of his mind? She wasn’t unattractive; she’d never had a problem getting dates. Her generous bust-line, more than generous butt, and small waist drew the guys out of the woodwork. But this guy was just too pretty to even consider someone that didn’t come straight from Hollywood.

“I’m flattered, really, but…” She pushed up from the bench and her coiled hair teetered precariously on top of her head. She made a quick grab for the chopsticks jammed in the twisted knot of her long dark blonde mane. Several of her charcoals rolled from her sketchbook to land on the floor with the tiniest sound of breaking glass. “Oh, damn…”

She abandoned her hair and leaned over the side of the banquette sofa, reaching for the fallen charcoals. Her bare foot struck the wall under the night black window and three of the vampire paperbacks by her knee were knocked to the floor. She groaned in annoyance. It figures… A cute guy and I am an instant klutz. Lifting her feet carefully over the backpack hogging the far end of the sofa, she turned on her belly to get her feet on the floor. Not the sexiest move in the world. Just call me Grace. She hunched down to gather the fallen books and broken charcoals.

The man crouched at her side and collected one of her fallen vampire books. A black brow rose as he scanned the back cover. “What interesting reading material.”

Elaine’s cheek heated as she stood. “Yes, I read trashy romances.” She leaned over the sofa to stuff her charcoals and her other two books into her back pack. “It’s a girl thing.”

“This is a romance?”

“A trashy romance; it has sex in it.” Elaine glanced over her shoulder and froze.

He was still crouched, but the book was forgotten in his hand. He was focused entirely on the curve of her jean-clad butt, bent less than a foot from his nose. His midnight stare lifted from her butt to capture her gaze. “Then you like sex?”

Elaine swallowed the lump in her throat. Oh boy, I really stepped in that one. She stood upright slowly, trying to gather what dignity she could, and then turned around to face him. “Yes, I like sex.” It was too late to deny it now. She tugged the hem of her thick white cable knit sweater down over her hips, and butt. She held out her hand. “My book please?”
​

Using Description Wisely!

Once you have described a setting or a person thoroughly, you Don't need to keep describing them -- unless they change. A small clue here and there, such as keeping to specific nouns, will do.

For example, in the above excerpt, the man was not described, though Elaine was - and thoroughly. Why was that? Because I'd already described him in a previous part of the story.

This part in fact:

From: INSATIABLE

“Might I have your company for the night?”​

​

“Huh?” Elaine glanced up from her belly-down sprawl across the private compartment’s plush banquette sofa. The art deco lamp directly over her was on, but the polished cherry wood walls made the rest of the antique Pullman car very dark. She blinked. Where did he come from?​

​

A tall man in a nearly floor-length black leather coat, stood just inside the deep shadow of her compartment’s door. His hands hung loose at his sides. “Pardon the intrusion.” His voice was soft, low and velvety with a touch of exotic eastern European lilt. He tilted his head toward the closed door. “I did knock, and your door was unlocked.”​

​

Elaine bit her lip. She hadn’t heard the knock. Hell, she hadn’t heard the door to her train compartment open either. Damn it, she had to start remembering to lock that door. She sighed. Too late now. “I’m sorry, my best friend says a bomb could go off when I’m drawing and I’d miss it.”​

​

“An artist’s concentration, I understand.” He stepped into her pool of light. Blue highlights gleamed in the unrelieved blackness of his hair. He wore it combed straight back from the deep peak of his brow, hinting that his hair was long and tied back. Midnight dark eyes peered at her from under straight black brows. Sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw-line defined his aggressively masculine face, but the lush fullness of his mouth and the ivory-pale color of his skin belonged in a neo-classical painting.​

​

Wow, GQ magazine must be missing a model. The man’s face was that freaking gorgeous. She had to close her mouth. “I’m sorry, what was it you wanted?”​

​

One corner of his mouth lifted, hinting at amusement. He clasped his hands before him. “Your company, for the night.”​

​

“My company?” She blinked. That couldn’t be what it sounded like. “For what, exactly?”​

​

“Sex.” His slightly amused expression didn’t change.​

What was in the picture at the beginning of this article?

• A woman.​
• A time of day.​
• Weather conditions.​
• Actions & Emotions.​
• Color.​
• MOOD.​

In your response to the picture above, did you include everything in the picture, or only some things? Did you include her hair color and its texture? Her eyes? Her clothes? Whether or not she was pretty? Her sword? Her actions? The snow?

• What did you include?​
• What did you leave out?​
• What did you merely mention and what did you actually Describe?​
• What did you give color, weight, flavor and emotion to?​

If you were to give your description to a friend who has Not seen this picture, and then showed them the picture, would they recognize it?
​

DESCRIPTION
The ONLY way to get what You Envision across to the Reader.​

WRESTLING with WRITING

Getting the Frikkin Story on PAPER!

Okay, you have your characters set up and, you have your plot outlined. It's time to put the words on paper.

ACTION!

All Actions MUST happen in Chronological order.
The only way to write down any event in your story is in Chronological order. Seriously.
- Like this:

1. Something happened.
2. The POV Character's immediate physical reaction. (jump, scream, flinch, duck, gasp)
3. What the POV Character sensed. (saw, heard, smelled, tasted, felt)
4. The POV Character's Emotional reaction / introspection. (happy, sad, pissed, horny)
5. How the POV Character responded. (dialogue, action)
6. What happened next.

In that specific order. Every single time. Every single sentence.  

You can skip steps - but you cannot change the order without muddying the visuals for the reader.

More on Action?
Go To: Writing SEX Action - Technique & Structure

POV = ATTITUDE + ACTION

When you are in tight POV, everything the character sees and experienced should be flavored with that character’s Attitude.

If Oscar the Grouch is looking at a bed of roses, what is going through his head is not going to resemble what would be going through Big Bird’s head. If you are in Oscar’s POV, the way you would write the description of those roses would reflect how he saw them.

Attitude Alone (AKA - Internal Narration):

Oscar could not believe that someone had the gall to drop his comfy garbage can in the middle of a disgustingly bright mound of flowers. At least they were roses. He could almost stand something that closely resembled a heaped snarl of barbed wire, if it weren’t for those eye-searing explosions of hideous pink. To make matters worse their stench was overwhelmingly sweet. He just knew that it was going to take a whole week to get the smell out of his can. He seriously considered heaving, just to have something more comforting to smell.

Boring. NOTHING is happening.

BUT – Oscar would not sit there and Contemplate the roses, he would curl his lip and say something snotty.

Attitude + ACTION:

Oscar the Grouch popped out of his trash can. Serrated green leaves waved among slender and barbed branches around the mouth of his home. He gasped in horror. “What is this disgusting mess?”

He leaned out and looked around in disbelief. "Oh ugh, I'm surrounded. Somebody put my trash can in a revolting pile of... What are these? Roses?” He could almost stand something that closely resembled a heaped snarl of barbed wire, if it weren’t for those eye-searing explosions of hideous color. He curled his lip. “Pink, I hate pink.”

To make matters worse their stench was overwhelmingly sweet. “Oh, eww…the smell!" He slapped a fuzzy green hand over his fuzzy green nose. "It’s gonna take me a week to get that out’ta my can!” He felt his gorge rising. “I think I’m going to be sick. At least it’ll smell better.”

Not quite so boring this time.


Add some DESCRIPTION please?!
Go To: I want to SEE the Story-Damn it! ~ a RANT!
Go To: What's the Difference between SHOWING & TELLING?"

GRAMMAR Details

Separate each character’s actions.
The actions and dialogue of one character DO NOT belong in the Same Paragraph as another character's actions and dialogue - EVER!
 

The actions and dialogue of one character Do Not Overlap the actions and dialogue of another character in the Same Paragraph or visuals become muddied. It may look choppy on the page, but the reader has absolutely no doubt as to who is doing what.

The Reader's perceptions are more important than whether or not your type looks tidy.

A character's Dialogue stays WITH their Actions
- in the Same Paragraph!
 

It’s a cold and lonely world. Your dialogue should always be in the same paragraph as its corresponding actions; it shouldn’t be abandoned. You make a new paragraph for the NEXT character’s actions and dialogue.

(Where did that "abandoned dialogue" idea come from anyway? Does anyone know?)

Dialogue Tags - SUCK.
When you have an action with a line of dialogue

 – you DO NOT NEED DIALOGUE TAGS - AT ALL!
 

You already know, through the action, who is speaking. Dialogue tags are only ever needed when you don’t have any other way of identifying the speaker. If you have no other way of knowing who is speaking than dialogue tags, then you have committed the heinous crime of:

DIALOGUE IN A VACUUM
- also known as “talking heads syndrome”.
 

A book with nothing but reams of dialogue marked only by dialogue tags means that there is no action going on, there is no Picture. NOTHING IS HAPPENING. The mental movie has stopped and only the sound-track is playing in a vacuum, like a Radio Show with no sound effects. I don’t know about you, but when I go to read a book, I want to SEE what I'm reading like a movie, not listen to a radio show.

Action and body-language tags on dialogue are NOT just there for decoration.
 

Action tags keep the mental Movie rolling and the MEANING of what is being said crystal clear. A small simple action can tell you right away what's going through the speaker's head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “I love you too.”
She dropped her chin and pouted. “I love you too.”
She glared straight at him. “I love you too.”
“I love you too.” She turned away and wiped the tear from her cheek.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dead give-away that dialogue is happening in a vacuum?
Look for dialogue tags, the word: SAID or any of its cousins: Spoke, Asked, Stated...etc.

Dialogue tags are a pet peeve of mine. I don’t use them. Ever.
Go To: Don't Need No Stinking "SAID" - a RANT!

Making Story HAPPEN

The fastest way to Start a story is...
– NOT at the Beginning.
 

Start your story within one page of Boy meets Girl (or Hero meets Trouble), with the story already in progress.

Don't bother with Back-story, also known as Info-Dumping. Use Dialogue to slip in clues to the characters' back-story and hints of what's going on in the world around them -- in the middle of all the action. This forces the reader to become an eavesdropper who MUST read on to find out: "What the heck is Really going on?"

The less you tell the readers, the more they'll want to read further to find out what's really happening. Make the reader WORK to discover why this vampire hunted this particular girl down, and why she isn’t running in screaming terror. Don’t give away the goodies until the reader is committed to your characters.

The saggy Middle...
- Is where the story’s REVERSAL goes.
 

Once you get to the middle, it's time for the Worst Case Scenario! The Middle is where Everything goes Terribly Wrong and the characters scramble to fix it, making everything WORSE.

Then comes the lowest point of the book, where they can’t possibly go any further. “We’re dead, we’re dead, we’re dead!” And then the Hero tries one last desperate thing…

Keep your Plot a SECRET until the bitter End!
- NEVER reveal ANYTHING until the Last Possible Moment!
 

The Easiest way to hide your plot -- and all your other shocking secrets, is by staying in ONE Point Of View (POV), rather than hopping from head to head.

When the main character - the POV character - is the ONLY character telling their thoughts to the reader, it's really easy to make the reader think one thing when in fact it's another!

(I don't care what other authors do, if you want to keep your plot a secret, you Don't put your readers in the heads of the characters plotting against your main POV character.)

The Final Battle!
- Shouldn’t be a total Win or a total Lose.
 

Winning should come with a cost, and Losing should come with an unexpected bonus. For some odd and unexplainable reason, a total triumph seems to be just as unsatisfying to the modern day reader as a total: “He dies, she dies, everybody dies…” Bittersweet seems to be the preferred flavor for an ending.

(I have no idea WHY the majority of my readers seem to prefer a balance of good and bad, but I do have the hate-mail to prove it.)

Where to End it?
- Where you began – back at square one.
 

Make the story a nice tidy loop. This tells the reader: “The next story is about to begin!”

• Sam Spade always ends up back in his office, ready to begin his next job.
• Alice comes back out of her rabbit hole – of course she’s being chased, but hey…!
• King Arthur sailed off in a tiny ship on the lake where he gained Excalibur, and his career as King began -- but he wasn’t dead. He could have come back. (Okay, so he didn’t come back -- but He COULD Have!)
• Even the classic Romances that end with a wedding party imply a new beginning.

What Don't I need in a Story?
- Only put in as much work as you Need To.
 

Think: SLACKER. 

 

The trick to knowing what to include in a story is whether or not you intend to actively USE it. If the character trait or object does not matter to the plot – skip it. If it doesn’t actively MOVE the Plot, (even a teeny bit,) you don’t need to use it -- or describe it.

The shorter the story the LESS room you have to work with, so the only details you need are what actually Changes the Plot. The same goes for character details. If the fact that your Hero's brother likes soccer a whole lot has no bearing on the plot, you don’t need to mention it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's the Quick and Dirty version of how to Write a Story. If you want more details, I want begging and pleading. And make it GOOD.

Morgan Hawke
www.dakerotica.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~