Story writing

[SamScribble]

Edit. I guess the key point I missed is that the elaborate details really contributed nothing to the story. Had they been slashed, it wouldn’t have affected the plot or the characterization in the slightest. Had they been necessary, it might have been different. In this case, the protagonist just got into his car and drove somewhere. Pointless detail, ie.

Which brings us back to Elmore Leonard 'Leave out the bits that the reader will skip over.'

 

[Hypoxia]

Which brings us back to Elmore Leonard 'Leave out the bits that the reader will skip over.'

Or, force them to slow down and absorb significant stuff. I try that sometimes. Like, in a period piece, mentioning that up to 10% of USA adult women around 1900 worked as prostitutes. Sure, that note slows the action. But it's meaningful.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I respectfully would like to argue about this. Sometimes, the enthusiasm of the writer is contagious.

Some examples,
-I have very little affinity with cooking, my taste buds seem underdeveloped, but some writers describe in such detail the preparing of dishes that it almost makes me want to go to the kitchen and give it another try.
- I know very little about ballet, but one of the books I read made me start looking for YouTube videos, to see what they meant with certain descriptions, because the enthusiasm of the writer started to intrigue me.
- In general, I laugh at people saying they like sport fishing, but I have to confess I've wasted hours of rainy Sundays, watching lunatics reeling in the weirdest creatures imaginable.

I could do without such info, I often prefer to avoid it, but sometimes, when presented the right way at the right moment, I take it all up and even enjoy it.

And therein is the key - at the proper time and presented well. My writer failed both those tests.

I remember though another story in which the protagonist cooked several meals. The process was detailed, if short of giving a recipe. The difference was that, in context, the process of his doing so contributed to the story. FWIW, I don’t watch cooking shows, either, but this story worked well.

 

[SimonDoom]

I respectfully would like to argue about this. Sometimes, the enthusiasm of the writer is contagious.

Some examples,
-I have very little affinity with cooking, my taste buds seem underdeveloped, but some writers describe in such detail the preparing of dishes that it almost makes me want to go to the kitchen and give it another try.
- I know very little about ballet, but one of the books I read made me start looking for YouTube videos, to see what they meant with certain descriptions, because the enthusiasm of the writer started to intrigue me.
- In general, I laugh at people saying they like sport fishing, but I have to confess I've wasted hours of rainy Sundays, watching lunatics reeling in the weirdest creatures imaginable.

I could do without such info, I often prefer to avoid it, but sometimes, when presented the right way at the right moment, I take it all up and even enjoy it.

I agree with you. I think it depends on how it's done. Detail can lend the story an air of authority or verisimilitude. For instance, Tom Clancy had no military background, but his books are full of military jargon and detail. Sometimes it seems like it's too much, but it gives the reader the feeling he knows what he's talking about. But I have to admit I tend to skim over some of Clancy's writing for precisely this reason, so I guess he violates Elmore Leonard's rule (I think Leonard is a terrific author to study as a model for writing well).

Sometimes, detail can lend a story a fetishy, porny feel that can be useful in erotica. You gave a perfect example above about food. Food and sex go together. One of my stories has food porn elements. It was fun to write.

 

[Hypoxia]

In one series of shorts (A Taste Of Lemonade) I introduced recipes for various lemon liquor potions. Hope I didn't overdo it.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I respectfully would like to argue about this. Sometimes, the enthusiasm of the writer is contagious.

This, and sometimes it's necessary for the character.

It's something I've been wrangling with in my current series-in-progress (Red Scarf). I have a bunch of digressions about graph theory, neutron stars, container shipping logistics, German goth-metal, yada yada, even at the risk of boring and alienating readers... because that story is about two autistic women, and getting obsessed with niche "special interests" is practically a defining characteristic of autism. I can't write about people who accept that side of themselves if I'm trying to tone it down for fear of how readers might react.

Thankfully, though, plenty of readers seem to be willing to come along for the ride, and I really ought to give them another chapter sooner rather than later...