Descriptions

One of the key points, as we all know, is your descriptions and imagery. Now, that can be a really fun aspect of writing, but the thing that most people fail to realize is that descriptions should be used in order to not only improve your story, but to move it along as well. What do I mean by that? Well, when you provide more in depth descriptions, it should provide one of three major things: further the understanding of your characters; further the plot of the piece; or create a better sense of setting or tone. Here are a few examples what I mean, try to get a sense of emotion and setting from the excerpts.

Anger

                The room was a shotgun spray of glass shards, all centered around one half destroyed bottle of Jack. Its opaque shrapnel was embedded in everything: the rugged and torn wallpaper that had been haphazardly painted over in some parts with a deep, deep red; the carpet that had been stained from the weathering of generations –deep browns, concerning maroons, and other suspicious yellows and greens- that were so long ago most didn’t care to remember anymore; and the flesh of the woman who’d been hit, her pale green eyes staring at the ceiling above. The empty bottle lay in a pool of her blood, like a gleaming glass castle in a scarlet moat.

Jealousy

                The frame was plain black, metallic and matte, making a perfect rectangle around the blackness that had once been a scene of two lovers. The glass cover was now shattered, a large crack going down the middle like lightning in the inkiness of a midnight thunderstorm. The top and bottom of the frame was layered, smothered in weeks upon weeks of dust, except for the sides. Both the left and the right of it was still shiny and full of clear fingerprints, being no stranger to late-night white-knuckled grips.

Happiness

                The book was plain for the most part: white cover; paperback spine; no intriguing design or eye catching patterns. Something about it though, this seemingly boring novel, drew you in and grabbed your attention. Maybe it was the way the sunlight gleamed off the golden lettering, giving it a warm feeling aura. Maybe it was the natural old book smell that drifted off its pages, throwing your brain back in time to late nights of reading and relaxation. Or maybe it was just the feel of its smooth matte cover and sun warmed pages.