[Umesha Chalanie]

Hi - I'm just wondering whether you like your fantasy stories descriptive (eg. The castle, though run down and dilapidated, seemed to house a strange aura that Lady Drimme was immediately drawn to. For many a day she stood outside of its stone boundary, studying its sillouhette against the clear skys, silently observing the many windows and turrents and wondering of both its interior and past. But no matter how much she yearned to enter those forbidden grounds, she would not break the promise she had made to her father on his deathbed.) or straight, blunt and to the point (eg. Lady Drimme, although wanting to, would not break the oath she had sworn to her father by entering the run-down castle.)?

[Macros]

The only author who I have a problem with and who does this excessively is Robert Jordan. I do not want to trek through a page just to find an answer to a question that was asked on the previous page. In other words, I don't mind description, just as long as it's not done excessively.

[Lani]

I would say that first description is way too detailed and if there's lots of those in a book it would be pretty boring to read it all, but the second one was way too short and without any good explanation. I would prefer something in between those two.

[azaz]

There's Only one book (well series) that I have read where the StoryLine, Charcters are ace, but there is too much Desriptive Language. The Author's name is George R R Martins. I really like the "A Song of Ice and Fire", and can't wait for the rest of the books, in the series to come out, but I think he spends too much time in putting tone's of detail, which causes a longer waiting time for his eager fans to wait for the next book in the series.

[BlakeHyde]

The detail is one of the main selling points of Martin's books. They are what make the world seem 'alive.'

[Rupert Avery]

I agree with Macros and what he has to say about Jorden.But I also agree with Lani that somewhere in the middle is best.

[wynnyelle]

description is necessary, but not long-winded passages of pure description. Description that goes in with the action is the best. I hate long chunks of description that stop the story short just to fill it in. Make the characters do things while the description goes on, and only describe something in any detail if it's necessary to the story--like don't take three parageaphs to describe a castle just to paint a lovely picture in the reader's mind.

More than two or three sentences of description alone and I start to get bored. But some people love to read that stuff.

By the way, that above passage of description is not too long for me. It's beautifully written, and its ending words definitely make you want to read on to find out what her promise to her father was. As long as the rest of that page isn't filled with the same sorts of descriptions it should be fine.

[This message has been edited by wynnyelle (edited January 03, 2001).]

[Cadfael]

The most descriptive novels I have read are the Recluse books by L.E. Modesitte Jr. I like my books to be descriptive, but this guy goes way too far, even down to sound fx... 'Crrreeeeeek' the door opened and 'scraaaaappp' went the file, his prose in also very detailed even down to hanging wash towels on the rail to dry them.

[Kahlan]

Personally I love a ton of description mainly with characters though, when it comes to the environment or important folcal point then i also like a lot of detail. The detail and descreption is also what draws the scene in my imagination and sets the mood of the whole story. It does get boring though when the description leads nowhere and you have just spent two pages reading about it.

~Kahlan~

[Pluvious]

Like one person said above,it is where the descritpion goes and how it is used. I like good writing, and any good author is able to describe things in order to paint a picture for the reader. But the writer must not dump this material all at once, or put too much in the middle of a climactic scene, or this will iritate the reader...which is bad.

Just have a purpose for the description and use just the write amount for the particular person, place, or things-as corresponds to its importance or need in a story.