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People skip details that they don't care about at the moment. If people are not interested in the details, it won't matter if you put them in a lump or spread the out. They still won't be intereste...
Answer
#2: Post edited
by
Mark Baker
·
2020-02-01T05:03:06Z (about 4 years ago)
typos
- People skip details that they don't care about at the moment. If people are not interested in the details, it won't matter if you put them in a lump or spread the out. They still won't be interested in them. They will still skip them.
- If people are interested in a set of details at a particular point in the story, it is always for a particular reason. They need to understand those details in order to understand what is happening in the story, or to maintain the atmosphere of the story.
There are times in life when you care a great deal about your surroundings. You have been summoned to the manor house on unknown business. The butler shows you into the library and tells you that the master will join you in ten minutes. What do you do? You examine, your surroundings in great detail, trying to figure out where you are and what your host may want of you. Are there maps on the wall? Guns? Mounted animal heads? Political Posters? Are there any books lying out on the table. What about the titles on the bookshelves. What about the furniture? Modern of ancient? Well kept or decrepit? In this situation, you are a glutton for detail.But then there are times when you don't care much about your surroundings at all. You are being chased through a field by a pack of dogs. What crop is growing in the field. Was that a mouse or a vole? How pretty the stars look tonight. Are there daisy growing between the rows? How many petals on each flower? These are all questions you do not ask yourself; things you do not observe.- Detail is no different in a book. Show the reader the detail that they care about when they care about it. If you are trying to figure out some technique to slip it by the reader without them noticing, that tells you that this detail does not belong here at all.
- Conversely, if the detail does matter, give it immediately. If it matters to the reader that her skin is amber and her eyes are blue and her hair is black, then tell these things all at once. If it does not matter to the reader that her skin is amber and her eyes are blue and her hair is black, then don't tell them at all.
- People skip details that they don't care about at the moment. If people are not interested in the details, it won't matter if you put them in a lump or spread the out. They still won't be interested in them. They will still skip them.
- If people are interested in a set of details at a particular point in the story, it is always for a particular reason. They need to understand those details in order to understand what is happening in the story, or to maintain the atmosphere of the story.
- There are times in life when you care a great deal about your surroundings. You have been summoned to the manor house on unknown business. The butler shows you into the library and tells you that the master will join you in ten minutes. What do you do? You examine your surroundings in great detail, trying to figure out where you are and what your host may want of you. Are there maps on the wall? Guns? Mounted animal heads? Political Posters? Are there any books lying out on the table. What about the titles on the bookshelves. What about the furniture? Modern or ancient? Well kept or decrepit? In this situation, you are a glutton for detail.
- But then there are times when you don't care much about your surroundings at all. You are being chased through a field by a pack of dogs. What crop is growing in the field? Was that a mouse or a vole? How pretty the stars look tonight! Are there daisy growing between the rows? How many petals on each flower? These are all questions you do not ask yourself; things you do not observe.
- Detail is no different in a book. Show the reader the detail that they care about when they care about it. If you are trying to figure out some technique to slip it by the reader without them noticing, that tells you that this detail does not belong here at all.
- Conversely, if the detail does matter, give it immediately. If it matters to the reader that her skin is amber and her eyes are blue and her hair is black, then tell these things all at once. If it does not matter to the reader that her skin is amber and her eyes are blue and her hair is black, then don't tell them at all.
#1: Initial revision
by
Mark Baker
·
2020-01-31T19:16:56Z (about 4 years ago)
People skip details that they don't care about at the moment. If people are not interested in the details, it won't matter if you put them in a lump or spread the out. They still won't be interested in them. They will still skip them. If people are interested in a set of details at a particular point in the story, it is always for a particular reason. They need to understand those details in order to understand what is happening in the story, or to maintain the atmosphere of the story. There are times in life when you care a great deal about your surroundings. You have been summoned to the manor house on unknown business. The butler shows you into the library and tells you that the master will join you in ten minutes. What do you do? You examine, your surroundings in great detail, trying to figure out where you are and what your host may want of you. Are there maps on the wall? Guns? Mounted animal heads? Political Posters? Are there any books lying out on the table. What about the titles on the bookshelves. What about the furniture? Modern of ancient? Well kept or decrepit? In this situation, you are a glutton for detail. But then there are times when you don't care much about your surroundings at all. You are being chased through a field by a pack of dogs. What crop is growing in the field. Was that a mouse or a vole? How pretty the stars look tonight. Are there daisy growing between the rows? How many petals on each flower? These are all questions you do not ask yourself; things you do not observe. Detail is no different in a book. Show the reader the detail that they care about when they care about it. If you are trying to figure out some technique to slip it by the reader without them noticing, that tells you that this detail does not belong here at all. Conversely, if the detail does matter, give it immediately. If it matters to the reader that her skin is amber and her eyes are blue and her hair is black, then tell these things all at once. If it does not matter to the reader that her skin is amber and her eyes are blue and her hair is black, then don't tell them at all.