REMINDER: Political posts/comments are not allowed in the GA Forums including status updates and chat - thanks!

So - have you started going through withdrawals from not getting a writing tip from Libby? I really enjoy the perspective she has and the experience she shares in these tips that she does for our community. Here Libby writes on "Specificity" - Enjoy!

Of course we can say “she cooked him dinner.” But why would we, when we could say “she broiled him a Delmonico to medium rare.” We experience life in particulars, not in vague generalities. Specific details jolt our memories and feelings. When writing, name things and actions specifically, but be wary of overbalancing. Too much specificity dilutes the power of your juicy Delmonicos.

Specific details are the things that sell reality to the reader. They can be powerfully emotive, and they help our audience empathize and sympathize with our characters. They let us believe we have experienced what they have.

Writing description—painting a vivid picture in the reader’s mind—is a bear to master. Often, we err on the side of too much or too little description to carry a scene.

One key to making description work for us is specificity. It makes our prose more powerful. It can change a bland, generic piece of descriptive writing into something far more interesting to read. It draws the reader in. It makes the story more tangible and believable.

There's probably no limit to the number of specific details we could build into a passage of descriptive writing. So we must be selective. Too many details can slow the action, and if they aren't of vital importance to the story, they become boring. On the other hand, a few telling details inserted in the middle of the action can paint a rich picture for the reader without slowing things down.

He picked her up at seven o’clock and took her to the Chinese restaurant in town.

Or…

He roared up in his Porsche at seven. Candy-apple red and gleaming, it shamed the other cars lining the street. At the House of Chen, they parked next to a boulder-lined koi pond. The red fish matched the car perfectly.

So… the next time one of your chapters seems a little bland, try replacing some general words with specific details. You may be amazed how much power they contain. But be selective. Think carefully on which details, when brought to life though specificity, will add the most life to your story.

~Libby