[Bardos]

Do you like the author to discribe with every little detail the places, people, and creatures in his/her fantasy world, or do you like it more if s/he discribes less and lets you imagine more?

[Cadfael]

I like to use my imagination, but a good writer can use a few words to prompt you in the right direction, without a full page of description... Stephen King is very descriptive... but his short stories are not, they can't be to remain short stories http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif, and it is in his short stories that he shows his talent, he can write volumes of meaning... in very few words.

[allanon]

It must be ballanced IMHO.

[Cadfael]

Allanon...

F1 forum, Cadfael = DennizM

[allanon]

Thanks,Dennizm!I'm F1boat.

[Shadowen]

I like a certain amount of detail - it sets the scene for you to imagine the rest. But too much - no way! This really put me off reading any books by L.E Modesitt - I picked one of the books up in a book shop and when I opened it it said something like 'creeeeeak - the door opened' - that really put me off!

[Zsinj16]

I agree with Allanon that both description and imagination have to be balanced.

[Cadfael]

Shadowen... did the book go creeeaaaak when you opened it as well, and when you threw it back on the shelf, did it go thuuuuummmmppp?? http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

But you are right, a pefect example of over detailed narative.

[This message has been edited by dennizm (edited June 30, 2001).]

[Bardos]

Hmm... I haven't read this book, but it's only the sounds you don't like, DennizM?... I mean, Martin has sounds, too...

[Liselle]

I like description, if it's not too much. But, I imagine everything in my head when I read it - I think everybody does - and thus I think it is better if a person is described when appearing in the book for the first time - if not, I have a fixed picture in my head, no matter what descriptions follow.
For landscapes and such: I like those descriptions very much, if they're good from stylistic point of view.