Descriptive Writing-Part 2 (tip #23)

There have been over 100 movies and TV programs based on the novels and short stories of Stephen King so it’s safe to say that his writing strikes a chord with viewers as well as readers of his books. Here are some excerpts of what King has to say about descriptive writing:

“Description is what makes the reader a sensory participant in the story. Good description is a learned skill, one of the prime reasons why you cannot succeed unless you read a lot and write a lot.”

“…I can’t remember may cases when I felt I had to describe what the people in a story of mine looked like—I’d rather let the reader supply the faces, the builds, and the clothes as well. If I tell you that Carrie White is a high school outcast with a bad complexion and a fashion-victim wardrobe, I think you can do the rest can’t you.”

“…So spare me, if you please, the hero’s sharply intelligent blue eyes and out-thrust determined chin; likewise the heroine’s arrogant cheekbones. This sort of thing is a bad technique and lazy writing, the equivalent of all those tiresome adverbs.

For me, good description usually consists of a few well-chosen details that will stand for everything else. In most cases, these details will be the first ones that come to mind.” 

“… It’s also important to remember it’s not about the setting, anyway–it’s about the story, and it’s always about the story.”
                                     Stephen King
On Writing
pages 173-176 

Scott W. Smith