I’ll Google this, but I have been working today on Resurrection and it’s going to run 9-10 pages, probably 3,000 words. Too long?
Also what about detail? If I provide details of each action, I think it might be boring. For instance, my main character meets someone at a pizza place. The pizza place has no relevance to the story. Should I describe in any detail what the waitress was wearing or how the tables were covered with checkerboard red and white vinyl, worn at the corners?
August 26, 2007 at 5:59 am
Of course people need details. The idea is to bring them into the story as though they were standing within your words, not to make them wonder what they’re doing there. Details suspend disbelief, make their reality go away for the span of time they’re immersed in your words. That being said, one doesn’t need to lose the story in exhaustive detail, especially in a short. Bring the description into the action.
“He noticed a pale orange grease stain near the screen-printed pizza place logo on the waitress’s t-shirt as she stood, impatiently waiting for him to place his order. Suddenly nervous, his fingers found a worn portion of the obligatory red and white checked vinyl tablecloth. He toyed with it, wondering how a perfect stranger in a position of service could create such desperate turmoil within his mind. She cleared her throat, gave him a pointed look, and he blurted out the first item on the menu, pitifully unable to make a decision.”
The single paragraph does a million things. Gives the reader a sense of personality (both in the waitress, who may never again appear in the story, and in the main character,) places them in a setting that doesn’t jar, and keeps them engaged. At the very least, they’ll want to know what has the guy so freaked, and this will carry them along to the next paragraph. Finally, it inspires a reaction in your reader. Depending on who reads it, they could feel annoyance at his indecision, empathy for his nervousness, impatience with the rude waitress…and the list goes on.
Sorry for the ultra long comment. i hope it helps.
May 6, 2008 at 11:44 am
Thats incorect
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