Between a weak argument and a strong one, details can make a difference.It's possible to turn a "worn pair of sneakers" into an "air Jordans with frayed laces and the tread long-since worn away."While the settings and characters of fiction and literary non-fiction benefit most from detailed writing, there are a number of steps you can take to put more detail into your writing.
Step 1: Don't tell.
Whether you're writing fiction, creative non-fiction, or a closing trial statement, this piece of writing advice holds true.Don't tell us that your character is angry, show us how she stiffens her posture, or that she has a tight jaw.Mention the broken windows, peeling paint, and pervasive smell of urine, don't tell us that the tenement building was run down.The key is details.This is an example of a house from The No.There is a ladies' detective agency.He gives us more than just the description of a traditional mud hut, which was a bare earth house with brown mud walls, a few glassless windows, and a knee-height wall around the yard.A previous owner had painted designs on the wall, but neglect and the years had scaled them off and only their ghosts remained.
Step 2: The focus should be on the key details.
The pacing of your story can be disrupted by too many details.The key is to pick out a few details and let the reader fill in the rest.Why are you including details?Do they tell you anything about your story?Do they contribute in a specific way to the argument?"It was hot in the church, and the white edges of the arum lilies crisp" is how the excerpt from The God of Small Things is written.A bee died.Ammu had her hymnbook with her.Her skin was very cold.
Step 3: Don't use empty words.
One way to make sure you aren't telling is to look for empty words in your writing.These are words that describe something but don't really tell you anything.The meal was good.How did it happen?Did lightly fried sardines accompanied with a sweet wine smelling of apricots give way to a tartrate of egg and pungent cheese, spiced with cardamom and a dozen other spices she couldn't identify?Was the bread dense and rich, with a hint of earthiness, as if it had grown directly from the dark soil outside the hut?There are some empty words to watch out for in non-fiction academic writing.A thesis statement that says "Shakespeare's Hamlet is a good play about the contrast between good and evil" is shallow and doesn't give any detail about your claim.Shakespeare's Hamlet examines the nuances of intention, compared to this detailed thesis statement.Hamlet's intent to avenge his father may be noble, but his willingness to destroy everyone standing in his path to revenge makes him a villain like King Claudius.
Step 4: Most of the adverbs should be removed.
Stephen King believes that the road to hell is paved with adverbs.Adverbs that end in -ly should be used cautiously.Occasionally, they can be helpful, but for the most part, you should search for a more descriptive word or phrase.It's a good idea to avoid said-modifiers.Try "whispered" instead of softly saying something."whimpered" instead of " said fearfully".Motion-modifiers can be avoided.Try "sauntered", "meandered" or "strolled" instead of walking slowly.Instead of walking quickly, "hurried" or "scampered"Instead of writing "she walked softly", think about why she's walking that way and how it makes her feel.Each creak of the floorboards sounded to her like thunder as she tipped past the guard.
Step 5: Draw on all five senses.
It is possible to smell, taste, and touch to make your descriptions more vivid and tangible.They can take you to a place that you can't see.Think of the smell of sea air or the wind in the snow.There are some vivid descriptions of smell in Patrick Suskind's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.The smell of rotting teeth, rancid cheese and sour milk came from the mouths of the people who stank of sweat and unwashed clothes.A wave engulfed him, and taste language can be even more powerful elsewhere.He spit the water from his mouth."Which has its sounds, familiar, like a roar, Of trees and crack of branches, common things, but nothing so like beating on a box" is how Robert Frost describes the sound of a wood at night."An Old Man's Winter Night" is a poem by Robert Frost.White vividly evokes the sensation of pulling on wet, cold swimming trunks: "He pulled his dripping trunks from the line... I watched him, his hard little body, skinny and bare, saw him wince slightly as he pulled up around his vitals the small, soggy, icy garment."
Step 6: Accurately use metaphors and similes.
A simile is a figure of speech that uses "like" or "as" to make a comparison between two things: "his eyes were as big as saucers as he gazed at the cake."An implicit comparison can be made without using "like" or "as": "his eyes were saucers as he gazed at the cake."A well chosen metaphor like "All the world's a stage" can illuminate while a poor one will only confuse.Make your metaphors and similes simple and clear to get it right.They are likely to confuse rather than illuminate if they become more elaborate.Don't mix them.Pick a comparison and stick with it.If you write nonsense like this, the president will put the ship of state on its feet.Only use original ones.Timeworn comparisons like "slow as a snail" won't add anything to your writing.Stick with a simple description if the comparison isn't interesting.They can be used to vividly evoke sensations.The most powerful metaphors evoke a sound, taste, smell, or feeling."The water made a sound like kittens lapping" is a good example.
Step 7: General background research is what you should start with.
General research into the topic is the beginning point for any piece of writing.There are different things that this will mean for different types of writing.This could mean learning more about the main character's job.The goal is to start writing.You don't have to worry about learning every detail.Background research is being aware of the literature in the field regarding your topic.You should have read all the works that are in dialogue with your own article or book.Whether you're writing a pitch or a pleading, you should have researched the important details.It's important to know the outline of your argument.As you write, fill in that frame.
Step 8: Background research can be aided by using the internet.
It is a good place to start for general information.Don't settle for internet research.Sources online are unreliable.You need to verify any information you use with at least three independent sources.Peer-reviewed journal articles are the gold standard when doing research.University presses and government sources are also places to look for books.Try to find trustworthy sources.
Step 9: Before you finish your research, start writing.
If you try to research everything before you start writing, you'll end up wasting time.It's not possible to know what information you need until you start writing.It is more efficient to learn the basics, establish an outline, and fill in the details as you go.
Step 10: You can find more sources with the help of bibliographies and notes.
If you find an interesting fact in a book, use the citation to find out where it came from.It's a good idea to read that.It's a great way to get to primary sources.It's where you want to be, looking at the material so you can give your own interpretations.
Step 11: Friends with librarians.
College and university librarians can be great resources.They can help you find more useful sources.They are usually happy to help.It is their job.
Step 12: You should keep a record of your sources.
Take notes about where you found the information.It's important to cite your sources in non-fiction writing to avoid accusations of plagiarism.It's important to know where you found things if you need to look them up again.
Step 13: Move beyond appearance with characters.
It's important to know what characters look like, but how they act can make a difference.Think of the detective.He is smart, doesn't like other people, and is a drug user.When establishing a character, use other character's reactions to convey information.She had every eye fixed.His appetite was legendary, so use a character's history to convey his or her qualities.He was said to have eaten an entire pig in one sitting.He had once gone a year without uttering a word.Focus on a character's movement rather than their appearance, for example, "She moved with the grace of a dancer."Don't describe everything if you're going to talk about appearance."Vic's a square-set, ready-and-steady sort of bloke, who rubs his hands together at the start of something."His hands are always clean.Graham Swift has last orders.
Step 14: Voice can be used to create a character.
Balram Halwai, the hero of Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger, is one of the most powerful characters.Out of respect for the love of liberty shown by the Chinese people, and also in the belief that the future of the world lies with the yellow man and the brown man now that our former master, the white-skinned man, has wasted himself, his voice is smart and funny.
Step 15: The descriptions of settings and objects should be short.
You don't need to keep taking pictures.Your story will be slower if you do that.Let the reader fill in the rest by focusing on a few key details.The Night Circus is a book filled with dizzily clever, yet surprisingly compact descriptions, like this one of a fantastic clock: "The body of the clock, which has been turning itself inside out and expanding, is now entirely subtle."There are figures and objects, carved flowers and planets, and tiny books with paper pages that turn.
Step 16: Don't use real place details too much.
The setting is almost another character in many books.You don't want to drown the reader in details when describing a real place.Pick a few to give a sense of place, such as the small circles of light thrown by the gas lamps, illuminating sections of paved street, or the smell of freshly-baked bread.Place names give a sense of place.Instead of the river, it's the Seine.The "Place de la Bastille" is a different type of square.Foreign words can help create a sense of place.James Clavell's Shogun is a great example of this."Hai" is used instead of "yes.""Tomodachi" means "friend.""Domo" means thank you.
Step 17: Through absence, describe.
What is not there is the key detail.A woman with a smile on her face may enter a ball with no joy in her eyes.A forest might feature towering oaks and lush undergrowth, but not even the buzzing of insects.Sometimes what isn't there can be more revealing than what is there.The Night Circus is a great example of description through absence.He defines the circus through what it lacks in color.The tents are striped in black and white.Black or white, painted or powdered, or treated with some other circus trick, is the only color that can be seen from the outside.