What's the most VIVID fictional place/world for you?? ☺️☺️ Or your fav bit of your own descriptive writing?? Stay nerdy! ~ Tim

Ongoing descriptions are an option too, describe parts of the castle as they become relevant. Emphasize the outer walls and towers as characters approach, back to plot, describe gates and flags as they enter, back to plot, etc... I've seen a few authors divert to describing a castle down to the type of wood used in the lord's dinner table while the characters were still looking at the place on the horizon.

I’ve learned something very important today… apparently Cthulhu statues capable of summoning the Eldritch god are not in fact a normal thing to keep in one’s Library.

I think the best description I've ever heard wasn't even written. It was a college English professor, talking about his life and describing the island he grew up on as follows: "It stuck out into the bay like a crooked finger trying to induce vomiting." Only a single, shortish sentence, but it told me so, so much about this place in an instant and how he felt about it.

Neil Gaiman does some excellent descriptions, and one of my favorites is in "Neverwhere", where he describes the villains Croup and Vandemar like this: "They wore black suits, which were slightly greasy, slightly frayed, and even Richard, who counted himself among the sartorially dyslexic, felt there was something odd about the cut of the coats. They were the kind of suits that might have been made by a tailor two hundred years ago who had had a modern suit described to him but had never actually seen one. The lines were wrong, and so were the grace notes."

Despite the thumbnail there is a lack of Howl's Moving Castle, so... "Sophie put her hands to her face, wondering what the man had stared at. She felt soft leathery wrinkles. She looked at her hands. They were wrinkled too, and skinny, with large veins in the back and knuckles like knobs. She pulled her grey skirt against her legs and looked down at skinny, decrepit ankles and feet which had made her shoes all knobby. They were the legs of someone about ninety and they seemed to be real." Diana Wynne Jones

Lol I love writing super descriptive stuff, esp with scenery, but sometimes I’m like “wait I’ve spent like two paragraphs talking about a lake I should probably move on”

I always remember Jon Snow's description when he wakes up beyond the wall and everything is frozen and glittering. And I remember it not because of the details but because of the emotion. That landscape makes him think fondly of how his sisters would react if they were there.

I think you'll notice that Brandon Sanderson's descriptions change depending on which POV character we're following. Kaladin is a soldier, a surgeon. He notices and describes the world around him from the perspective of a practical, to-the-point person. Shallan's POV chapters are more descriptive and less "dry" because she's an artist and scholar who takes interest in things like art, architecture, flora and fauna. I'd still agree that Sanderson's prose isn't where he shines the most as a writer, but I think he has far more range and is far more deliberate with his descriptions than some give him credit for. :)

What's occurred to me while watching this is that one of the most valuable functions of description is what it can tell you about the character observing whatever is being described. I have a first-person protagonist who *absolutely* would use words like "cerulean" and "vermilion," because he is a young wizard who hasn't yet figured out that knowing a lot of things and having an extensive vocabulary isn't the same thing as being wise. When I heard the Sanderson passage, I remarked to my spouse (a Sanderson fan) that it sounded very businesslike. They said that the character in that passage *is* a businesslike person, and that Sanderson writes more interesting descriptive passages when another character, an artist, is the viewpoint. And of course famously, a case where the environment's description tells you pretty much everything about the character, is The Yellow Wallpaper.

“People can imagine ordinary places pretty well, often better than you could ever write them.” Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I’m tired of hearing “but I want more details!” when the setting of my story is our own world, full of ordinary places. This is one of the best videos I’ve ever encountered on this topic. Thank you.

Perfect example of this; Me and my friends used to have a writing group. We were writing collaborative stories, and I spent the entire first half of my first page of the story describing, in vivid detail, how the protagonist was jumping over a dumpster. Everything, from the type of dumpster to the alley, it was horrible. They still haven’t let me live it down, years later. You don’t need to go overload on detail. We aren’t Edgar Allan Poe, getting paid per word here, we don’t need to be as wordy as possible.

I have complicated issues with my love of Harry Potter, but one scene description from a book that really got to me was the description of Harry waiting for his turn to face the dragon in the Goblet of Fire. The sound of the crowd above him, the gut feeling of dread, the nervousness of waiting your turn-dreading it while also wanting to get it over with… as a stage performer I recognized these feelings right away and that recognition made that scene so real for me.

I know a lot of people don't prefer the landscape descriptions from authors like JRR Tolkien and C.S. Lewis but I find them really interesting. Knowing not only that there are trees around, but the specific kinds is a unique way of picturing a scene.

Gotta disagree about Tolkien. You were right that he gives extremely vivid descriptions that can be long-winded and difficult to remember, but the point is not to remember them. He always brings the description back to the character's experience making the description even more impactful, because he spent so much time and work building the description up. In the example you use, he describes impenetrable walls that seem built beyond the ability of man. They stand impervious against the most dangerous enemies, and yet, much like the fall of the Numenoreans and Middle Earth itself, even these walls have fallen into decay. This knowledge leaves the reader with a feeling of dread and you realize that Minas Tirith also stands upon the edge of the knife and it hits harder because so much time was devoted to building those walls and everything they represent. He uses grandiose description, not so that the reader memorizes the minute details, but so that the important aspects hit harder and leave you with a feeling.

11:05 This suddenly came to me and I had to write it down I stepped into the library and made my way over to the large reading tables at the centre. A handful of other students were there already, leafing through heavy reference books to find the perfect quotes for their essays. Surrounding the tables were rows upon rows of bookshelves. Each one seemed to stretch off into the distance, like the never-ending paths of a maze, with the weight of musty books pressing in from both sides. Even the sunlight, streaming through the large, domed window in the ceiling above couldn’t penetrate much more than a few shelves into a row. Something about them unsettled me, as if there was something lurking in the darkness amongst the stacks, waiting for a lone student to wander unknowingly into it’s section. “Stop it.” I whispered to myself, as I passed by the watchful eyes of the marble Cthulhu statue that stood near the horror section. It had been there for decades, despite the best efforts by multiple librarians to remove it. Every time they took it away, it would reappear the next morning, back on the same shelf staring out across the room. Somebody had graffitied a finger across it’s mouth in a shushing gesture - ‘Shhthulhu demands your silence’.

I think that what Tolkien shows is that if you're going to write very long descriptions, you'd better be _extremely_ good at it. Luckily, he is. There're very few paragraphs in LOTR which I find extraneous, simply because the experience of reading his words is always a joy.

So many of these (especially the "specificity" and "ordinary places" tips) overlap with tips for writing good poetry! (I think prose writers could stand to learn more from poets, but that's a conversation for another time, haha) I also think, as you mention briefly at the end, that the issue with over-describing (or describing when they shouldn't) is one of the side effects of the emphasis on "show, don't tell". "'Show, don't tell?' Okay, so I'll describe EVERYTHING!" Anyway, I loved this video! Always so helpful & clear 💜

While I don't remember the details (ha), the Brazilian Novel "Vidas Secas" is often praised for its lack of description. Makes the barren and desolate place feel even more so. People were too busy surviving to care about many details. And, apparently, that lack of description made the place feel much more universal for foreign readers, especially from other places with pretty arid and underdeveloped places

I've found description to be a remarkably strong tool for controlling the pace of a story. If characters are in a hurry or in danger, descriptions can be brief and quick to keep the story's forward momentum. But if there's downtime for introspection or the like, characters can take their time exploring or observing a setting, reflected in longer descriptions.

Ok I have to say my favorite thing description wise I've ever written (which I'm likely not keeping for reasons) has to be this: "There had already been a number of visitors to Bellamoure Hall by the time the rumors had started. Whispers about the state of the family manor, the state of the women residing within its very walls, the truth behind Selina Oliveira's death. Once the sun settled below the horizon, leaving the sky with an almost golden glow to it, all worries and their accompanying echoes of the town gossip died down. Instead, each night since the Oliveira girls had arrived back in town, they had hosted an elegant party. And each night was twirled away through the antique walls of ebony wood and silver embossed mirrors. Like something out of a dream, everyone looked as though they belong among the hallowed halls - all except for the three who had actually inherited the property."

I would like to make a quick rebuttal, as I feel as if the criticism of BrandoSando could have been shown differently. In the context of that excerpt (Kaladin surveying the warcamp), the matter of fact description is being stated by a surgeon and soldier. Someone with a mind so detached they see the world in an efficient but simple manner. This is starkly contrasted by Shallans POV descriptions, which are always colourful and fanciful in nature (they play on that even more with veil in book 3). While BrandoSandos descriptions can be dry at times, that specific paragraph was in character for Kaladin and his mindset. Those were my 2 cents anyway.

i tend to skim over descriptions that are too long since i have aphantasia and details won't help me visualize anything anyway, so the capturing the vibe approach is definitely more helpful for me as a reader. it also makes me wonder what my descriptions would be like if i tried writing. my guess is that i wouldn't describe enough, since i wouldn't have a detailed image in my head and/or i'd forget that other people would want some details on what things look like

I love the descriptive detail in "The Face in the Frost" by John Bellairs. It begins, "Several centuries (or so) ago, in a country whose name doesn't matter, there was a tall, skinny, straggly-bearded old wizard named Prospero, and not the one you are thinking of, either. He lived in a huge, ridiculous, doodad-covered, trash filled two-story horror of a house that stumbled, staggered, and dribbled right up to the edge of a great shadowy forest of elms and oaks and maples." Inside his house are "such things as trouble antique dealers' dreams", such as "alembics, spiraling copper coils, alcohol lamps-all burping, sputtering, and glurping as red, blue, purple, and green liquids boiled, dripped, or just slurched uncertainly in their containers." I just love that phrase, "slurched uncertainly". There's so much there that just sets the mood right off the bat: whimsical, anachronistic, and unserious, but also with subtle undertones of gothic horror. Things that stagger and slurch aren't always the the safest...

The Dragonbone Chair by Tadd Williams has some of the best descriptions I've ever read. There's a line in the first chapter that immediately hooked me in on how he described the changing of seasons. "Hushed conversations seemed to be taking place in every hallway and dooryard of the great keep It might have been the first day of spring, to judge from the air of breathless anticipation, but the great calendar in Doctor Morgenes’ cluttered chamber showed differently: the month was only Novander. Autumn was holding the door, and Winter was trudging in."

a few thoughts on the Stormlight Archive description section: 1. the character whose perspective we are seeing this scene through is from both a military background and currently in an extended state of shock. It's not surprising to see limited emotionality specifically here. 2. I'd agree Sanderson is not known for his prose, this may be part of why his books are known for readability though - less emphasis on flowery (even if brief) descriptions where it is not vital to character development and plot. 3. An establishing shot in an action movie can create the setpeice, an establishing shot in a drama can set the emotional tone. So while I agree that Sanderson's writing especially when establishing setting do not evoke emotion. the intent of the work might have something to do with it. On a completely different note, I thoroughly enjoy how the Stormlight descriptions are at once relatively sparse while giving clear indications that the setting is not a typical "Middle-Earth" type fantasy setting - difficult to balance without over-describing

You know, it's funny. The most poignant description I remember is not from a published story, it's from a fanfic. I won't describe it here but that description actually changed the way I looked at describing my own characters. I know people always hate on fanfic and consider it lesser writing than published work, but there are a lot of gems in there too.

“Wdym I can’t tell everyone every meticulous detail of what this random tree looks like?! >:(“ - J.R.R. Tolkien. (probably)

The opening paragraph of The Haunting of Hill House is the best description I've ever read. I got goosebumps when I first read it. It is also a good example of the point you made about description and experience. “No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met nearly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”

I remember listening to Brian Jacques full cast audioplay of Redwall when I was very young. The building itself is described quite accurately, but didn't understand the wording used. So I had a completely different picture of what Redwall Abbey looked like in my head, rather than what it was intended to look like.

I like that you explain the positives and negatives of Brando Sando without attacking/fanboying. Like anyone, he has strengths and weaknesses

“Wdym I can’t describe every piece of food on the table as vividly as possible??? >:(“ - GRRM. (probably)

Merphy has such a gorgeous reading voice. It just sucks you into the description. This was a great video, and I love the quotes you chose to represent the thoughts you had on the topic.

I am watching the video on Nebula and unfortunately there is no possiblity for comments there, so I am switching back to KZfaq for that: - I love how you make the letters appear individually during the "reading segments", it's very fun to watch - I am all the way with you on your hot take regarding Tolkien's descriptions. I noticed that I started skimming them because with all his talk about north and east etc he usually just disorients my sense of place and I have to guess anyways what the scene could look like. - I've been subscribed a few years now and I really have to mention how much you progressed. Your videos have always been really good but I feel like you have made some more steps recently. Your videos feel very dense and to the point and so very well structured, I can't really see to which you point you will improve (not that you have to, but I have been surprised before, as you see). Such a nice change from so much KZfaq videos that stretch content by force. - And as always, a very insightful and helpful video, thank you!!

One thing I'll note about Brandon Sanderson's writing: his descriptions are very character based. Here, you've used a description of Kaladin, currently a slave, being led through a war camp to be sold to Highprince Sadeas's army. At this time he's suffering from severe depression after a string of repeated failures. And even when he's not depressed, he's generally a fairly salt-of-the-earth character. Looking at the other major viewpoint characters (of the first book): -Dalinar sees the Alethi camps as not being as disciplined as they should be, so he notes the organization of camps, how tidy men's uniforms are, if they're clean shaven, etc. -Adolin is his foil, seeing things similarly but subtly differently. -Shallan is the most descriptive character. She's a charcoal artist skilled enough to impress kings and princesses, and in her segments, her descriptions are much more vivid. And she's also the most naive of these characters, out experiencing the world for the first time, so we get the kind of descriptions of the vastness of the Palaneum which none of the other characters would really stop to gawk at. (Well, a bit, it's the biggest library in the world, it's kinda impressive.) Fundamentally, Brandon's descriptions aren't describing the world, they're describing how the viewpoint character sees the world. Which works for me, doesn't have to be great for you.

Well... Idk... I really love Sanderson's functional descriptions, since they are just precise and to the point, and the story comes out by just being plain good and without unnecesary decorations. You can put in some vivid descriptions when it matters, not everywhere just because :)

I would say, if you've excessively designed every nook and cranny of your world and really want to share it with everyone then see if there is ways to do so outside of the main story. I have seen some fantasy novels include an appendix with definitions of magical terms and names or extra info that isn't relevant to the main story. I have also seen some mangas with authors who have Tolkien like world building put the random factoids in the two or three pages between chapters or at the end of the manga. And of course you can just do what I would probably do and get a cheap webpage where you can make an encyclopedia and dictionary and timeline with the link printed somewhere in the book for those who are interested in your work. Granted this should be balanced with places where you should leave some wonder and mystery for the reader or to avoid plottwists for later books,

The description that hit me most from all I've read so far was actually the dark streets of Paris, as Valjean tries to escape the police, before he climbed over the wall into the convict. Hugo managed to write a raod map of Paris of it's time - exactly enough to follow it through Paris today - in a very interesting and even suspensful way.

I would love to see a situation where the same setting is described two or more times from the perspective of different characters, with the point of view drastically changing how the scene is described. Maybe it already exists somewhere but I haven't seen it before.

I like how you mentioned the Chekhov's Gun for details, if not by name. Having a particular detail payoff in some way is so satisfying to read. And maybe I missed how it was mentioned outright, but I also enjoy the use of "white space", ie writing that implies a description or detail without explicitly stating it, letting imagination fill it in, like how drawn art can imply the a field or continuation of a scene without actually drawing/painting it. Third thing I thought about was how one of my favorite series of all time, Robert Jordan's *The Wheel of Time*, seems to fall similarly to both Brandon Sanderson and Tolkien, in the fact of that workman-like description and excess of description, yet I'm not a fan of either Tolkien or Sando, partially for those exact reasons. Yet one piece of description always stands out in my mind, either from the ending part of book 3 or the beginning part of book 4 of WoT, there's a scene where a character walks into a tavern, and in the tavern's verbose and detailed description an assassin is glossed over, then shortly is revisited as the assassin attacks. Mentioned, but easily missed, which happens to be a supernatural talent of the assassin, to not be noticed by anybody...

I think my personal favorite specific quote is from the Great Gatsby, being "The eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleberg" as it's an image BURNED into memory. A similar one is from "The King in Yellow," also focusing on the hateful image of the eyes of an organ player with "a face of pure distain and nothing more" or something. Glorius.

As somebody who actively ENJOYS purple prose… this video is helpful. I get enamored but pretty words, and my nature as a visual artist that I have a tendency to get carried away. Also, as someone who writes often from the first person, it is a lot harder to get away with writing poetic detail and still maintain the voice of the perspective character.

Tolkien would disapprove of this general message.

Thanks Tim! I've just started getting back into writing seriously again, and your On Writing series is immensely helpful getting into the right mindset.

A favorite bit of my own writing is from a story about a young woman trying to come to terms with a family estrangement. Every few years, when a family milestone passes without that person, she ruminates on the relationship she had with him as a child. This section is meant to highlight the lack of closure and set up the atmosphere of the house to feel like a place not quite devoid of his presence, no matter how hard the others might try to erase or forget him. "The dining room is quiet, more insulated than other rooms she could haunt....She looks up at the family tree, all but one of the faces gazing benignly out at her. A decade of neglect has nearly erased her uncle." And he does eventually find his way back to find the house and the family changed in his absence, like his abandoned room: "He turned the corner and found himself in a barren hollow....like someone had taken a hot spoon and scooped out some of the house's insides."

I love the “I believe that knife is still there,” line from Assassin’s Apprentice. Because that scene is so emotionally intense, and ends on that one note. Every subsequent time a scene is set in that same room (and a lot of scenes are), I think, “oh, and that knife’s still there.” Sensational.

The small description that stuck with me is from The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern: "This space is a temple. The doors are one set of four that lead to an open atrium. It continues up and up and up in tiers surrounded by wooden stairs and balconies. Fires burn in hanging bowls, their moving light accentuated by the candles placed on every surface in lieu of offerings, dripping wax on carved altars and on the shoulders and open palms of statues..."Are you injured?" Simon asks as Zachary stumbles backward, catching his balance on an altar behind him. Its surface is soft beneath his hand, the stone covered in layers upon layers of dripped wax." I read this book over a year ago and am still astonished by the effectiveness with which the author conveyed the oldness of this space and the kind of solemn chaos that the whole book has.

Honestly, the Lord of the Rings is my favorite book in terms of setting description. I'm a very slow reader and pause constantly to ponder or reread what I've just read. As a result, Tolkien's extreme level of detail when describing locations is like candy to me. I find it viscerally exciting to visualize each of his set-pieces (which is probably a large part of why I hated the movies--to me they feel so flat and uninspired compared to the descriptions in the book). However, since most people don't seem to read like this, I understand why these sections drag for many readers (which would also explain why so few people share my reaction to the films--if you've been skimming, or completely skipping, all of that description then a similar degree of detail won't be expected from the film).

One place that really stands out is Terry Pratchett's city of Ankh-Morpork in his Discworld novels - every description, both the setting paragraphs and the casual mentions of scenery as a character moves through the city or speaks about it, really lets you feel the city as a behemoth both made up of the people within it, and one that swallows them into it and changes them

When I write descriptions I always imagine the writing like a camera on a set, swinging around and cutting to show things as they become relevant. I find it usually helps keep a good flow in the story rather than bogging it down

half-disagree on the example from Way of Kings. I feel that that description is very much Kaladin looking at the camp. He's an ex-soldier, and he looks at it as a soldier would. Memorizing routes and layout. Identifying strengths and weaknesses. Checking highstorm risks and hiding places. Very methodical. And he has to be, because if he lets himself feel than his depression shows up all grumpy.

This is a video I've been needing for a long while. Descriptions of the setting is something that I often lack and when going back to edit, I worry about over describing the entire area. What you see What you smell What you hear How you feel when you stand in that place. But I always worry that I would end up describing too much that I end up not describing enough. However, I have been praised for how I take the time to describe things through the eyes of different people. I take the time to use short descriptions of the area, the image people getting being vague because the world feels suffocating when you don't know where you are but when I swap to the view of someone that knows where they are going, they go more in detail, describing the forest they've passed by multiple times before on their job but also the worries they will find when they're made to go in for an important item of interest fell into the forest controlled by creatures known for killing anything that isn't like them.

A specific detail thats memorable to me is the hawk in small gods,always described in relation to the turtle. It’s like a character of its own, with no lines. It both a symbolic representation and a plot device which in the end impacts the story.In my opinion Terry prachet has the most inventive ways of description, it always clever and funny, it’s basically a character in every story.

I remember the most immersed I felt when reading a book was when I read the Rowan of Rin series as a child, so I havent read them in a long time, however I can remember being able to connect to the story from its environment, in one of the books they have to go through an evil carnivorous forest and the descriptions are what brought it to life for me, being able to imagine the chill of a city once splended but fallen to ruin, and the fear which would be felt exploring the barren waste, the grey bark which calls upon imagery of illness, roots tough as steel ready to crush you like the hands of a giant, and being isolated, knowing that if you fail, your family would not survive.

I like the idea of say a character who adores birds and flowers and they explain the details of the flowers in the description. It shows how much they care about it.

Vivid details and sensory experiences and setting being the most memorable part of a book is Erin Morgenstern's books. Both The Nignt Circus and Starless Sea feel more about the setting than.the plot and the details and writing are exquisite

I actually always liked Tolkien's descriptions. They were one of my favourite things about his stories. I guess it made his stories more 'real' to me. I could almost see what he was describing. (and I suspect it might have been responsible for me having a greater appreciation of nature ) .

This is a thank you from a D&D dungeon master. These videos on writing help me so much, especially this one. Learning what to describe, and what to leave to your players is very hard, but returning back to the principles of storywriting helped me so very much.

The way sanderson describes things feels a lot like how a tabletop dm or gm would describe everything to their players. His entire style feels like you're meant to insert yourself into a specific world as opposed to imagining the world yourself, which makes sense after watching some of his writing classes.

I love this type of video! The breakdowns, the pulling stuff apart, the different genre choices! 😍 Makes application of the technique (in this case description) easy to see and possibly apply.

This is mostly because it's the most recent series I've read, but Shadesmar from the stormlight archive is always evocative for me. It's an incredibly alien landscape in just about every way - ground made of obsidian, clouds that all point towards the sun no matter where you are, the true forms of magical beings living their "normal" lives.

What i'd add is that descriptions are a brilliant place to hide some character building. What does your character notice about this thing, what do they find important, or weird, or interesting, what do they ignore altogether? Are they quick to form an opinion on it or are they more factual about it - or do they try to be factual about it, but is their opinion clear when read closely? If they form an opinion quickly, is it a postive or negative one? What associations do they have - do they compare the grimy stains on a sofa to the spots on a cow, or to puddles of rain and oil on a city street? Questions like these make descriptions an absolute GOLDMINE to learn more about a character and how they view the world - literally.

The moment you mentioned specificity I instantly imagined Shaelin gleefully talking about it ~ then instantly jumped hearing Polyphonic. It was so unexpected

A bit of descriptive writing I really love to use is when you show something about a character that's unusual. Maybe they have a specific scar, their teeth look like that of a predatory animal, maybe they carry a weapon with them at all times. It makes the reader ask questions, and gets them thinking about your character. Mad-Eye-Moody from Harry Potter is a great (if not a bit extreme) example of this. The man has a magic eyeball, crazy scars, and always drinks from a flask. His design screams "I have seen some stuff and am super plot-relevant."

Great video, lots of interesting points! For me though what makes 'specific details' so memorable is if they tell us something emotional about the setting or the characters. To me, what makes sense is to think about what your character *feels* about the environment they're in and pull the descriptions from there. Say you have three siblings in a big family with an old, hand-me-down sofa: to one sibling the sofa might be 'well-worn and comfortably shaped by the generations of ancestral bums that came before her', to another it might be 'soft and enveloping- apart from that one spring that allways jabbed him in the hip', and to the third it might simply be 'broken'. All of those descriptions can be good and memorable- but they tell us something different about the character and the environment. The first emphasises the size of the family and a comforting sense of family history and that siblings place within it, the second is still comforting but also slightly cloying and even uncomfortable or boardering on painful (we get the sense that as much as he likes the family, something about the environment is limiting or hurting this character), and the last is flatly negetive- blunt and harsh (this sibling feels something is wrong and isnt interested in excusing or deflecting away from it, at least, not in there own head). The three siblings have different experiences of the family and so have a different perspective on the physical space they live in. I think descriptions are often best when they reflect this. Its one of the reasons i love multiple pov, both to read and to write. Whats weird or familiar to your character and why? What features leap out to them and dominate their perception? What would they ignore? Whats comforting? Unsettling? Upsetting? All of this is naturally interesting to a reader if they are invested in your characters, and i think it can help stop it from becoming overwhelming too- i mean we might notice something once or when we feel a particular way about it, but we dont walk around constantly noticing normal things or our feelings towards them, so it wouldnt make sense to describe them in that scene- at least not beyond the bare basics the reader needs to understand whats happening.

I think overly specific descriptions like in Piranesi can easily backfire. First you get bombarded with numbers and dozens of details. Being overly precise with placements like climbing the "western" wall can confuse because I will try to readjust my mental image of the room. Do this a few times and my immersion is broken. And then you get hit with the "bee on the eye", so memorable that I literally lost the entire earlier description immediately. On the subject of Brando Sando, his writing style makes sure that this never happens. I can understand why some people wouldn't like that but it works for me. In the case of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett they tend to focus more on the characters in the scenes. But if they need to describe something, they make it weird, use partially nonsensical similes or try to evoke a feeling over giving you anything specific to latch on. What I've learned is that I like books where I can let my imagination run wild ^^

I love listening to you videos! They always inspire me to continue writing whatever I’m working on at the moment.

There are a very few KZfaqrs who’s videos I cannot wait for and you are one. Thank you for truly blessing us with your knowledge my liege. ❤

I don't know about 'vivid', but I've had stories LITERALLY COME BACK TO ME months or years after I've read them, even when I wasn't doing anything book-related -The Ashes Trilogy by Ilsa J Bick. I realized it was just SUCH an awesome story (pretty much combining the contemporary 'main character has CANCER' trope with a wilderness/apocalypse survival story) -That, and a scene in the second book of the Graceling Series So, yes, I'd definitely say that emotions last longer than details. EMOTIONS we can understand, related to, far more than trying to piece together those 'beautiful scenes' in books that build off of nothing and are immediately forgotten just like what i watched on youtube the other day (except (ironic because it also involves the Handmaid's Tale), there is a very small scene detailing an egg in that story. I still remember that that description ripped me straight into the book, as if I was right there with our girl looking at the tiny details of this little fecking egg in its little holder. It made the world of the Handmaid's Tale all the more REAL) -- (p.s. boyo, the fact that you're near a million subs is awesome ^.^)

I think the issue with Tolkien is that he wrote it not to necessarily be a strictly immersive story, but a historical myth. It's something that some people love and others hate. I would not say it is bad, but stylistically controversial if that makes sense. Respect the take though.

"Click. Tap. Pain. That was the rhythm of his walking." One of my favourite descriptive opening lines of a chapter. Joe Abercrombie introducing Glokta in The blade itself

Thank you Tim. Love these videos. They’re so helpful!

I love stories that describe an important things about every place or character to show there constrast. I really like doing this with posture, eyes, and how they speak. Can really show personality without just saying what their personality is

This video focuses mostly on descriptions of places, but I think this is all super applicable and important for writing sex scenes! Especially the point about how it's more important to describe things the characters are feeling or noticing than just giving info about what's happening. The best sex scenes don't just tell me a list of positions, but focus on the emotions of the characters participating in the sex. I don't write prose (I'm a playwright) but I read a lot of erotica and it's one of my biggest pet peeves when sex scenes feel empty and just like filler, and usually the culprit is this issue- describing what's happening instead of how the character's are feeling about what's happening. Here's an example of really good sex scene writing where the focus is more on the character's feelings than actions from the brilliant Alexis Hall's book Glitterland: "I tumbled off his lap and pulled him to his feet, remembering unexpectedly his body covering mine in a dark room in Brighton and how much I had wanted to see him. And then watching him in my living room, wanting to touch him. I’d turned away from both at the time, and the vulnerability of giving, like the thief I was. Such a fragile thing, wanting to please someone else. Such endless scope for disappointment and failure. How much easier just to take." I love this because even though it pauses the action of telling us about what's happening in the room sexually, it still heightens the momentum of the scene as we better understand what the protagonist is feeling about this moment and why it's special and why it's sexy

12:18 on the contrary. You have earned my undying respect. We need to let go of this illusion that Tolkien's work is flawless, there is fair criticism in there, and his overly wordy description is one of them.

best description that has stuck with me for YEARS "her voice was akin to a purr but echoic of a growl"

YES! New video! Love your videos, has been very helpful to me as a writer and make me laugh when I'm feeling down. Thank you Tim, keep rocking it!!😄💕 And...I agree with your hot take. As a Dyslexic, I have lots of trouble reading Lord of the Rings and sometimes feel like I'm missing out on 'true literature' so, thanks for that. Love those books and J.R.R. Tolkien is an amazing writer, but it is much easier for me to watch or audio book the story. It's sometimes just too much. Also, there is a very interesting video that compares Brandon Brandon Sanderson's prose and J.R.R Tolkien's prose and the origins of their words, one being mostly Germanic and the other...I forget what's it call, but I can link the video because it is really agrees with what you said. Also, I agree with your second hot take, love my boy Brandon Sanderson, but it is a thing in his books. Love them both anyways.

I really needed this. Thank you Edit: Aw, I miss the old thumbnail Edit 2: Yayyy the old thumbnail is back

Just wanted to say a quick thank you to the universe since like 3 people will see this, I was just writing a couple of descriptions in my book and the first few minutes of this video made me reevaluate, and realise that no, the people wouldn't be what my character notices first. It would be weapons, and military honours, and weaknesses and escape strategies. Thank you!!

I've been watching your videos for years, and I just have to say how much I genuinely love and appreciate all the hard work you put into creating them. The information is always invaluable, helping me understand how write my stories better. Honestly, I've learned more from you about crafting stories than I did in my 4 years at college studying writing. lol

Setting I remember: DUNE. Perhaps it's because I spent so much of my youth wandering the sands of Arrakis that it holds such a powerful grip on my mind and heart. Tolkien: Love his long descriptions. People who complain about his books should read more classical literature. I grew up reading classical literature as a kid. And shied away from Tolkien because people I respected kept telling me it was "encyclopedic". But when I finally did sit down and read it I found it absolutely amazing. It was no more "encyclopedic" than Jules Verne or Charles Dickens, and Tolkien's descriptions flesh out a world that is rich and vibrant and alive and FULL of history. A world that feels *real*. The direction that each gate faced isn't important, but that the gates face different directions, and the general facing of the city itself to the east, these are important, both for setting and for Tolkien's philosophy and metaphor. No, I don't remember the north/south/east/west -ness of his description of the White Tower, but I remember how reading about it filled my mind with a vision of it, and filled my heart with an awe of it. You want an author who DOES write way too much description? Robert Jordan. O.M.G. Talk about a slog! Eugh. But thanks for pointing out Brandon Sanderson's flaws. I think it's good to offer criticism of a writer where criticism is due. (I just feel like Tolkien is unduly criticized by people who never developed an appreciation for classical literature, of which LOTR is an example.) Things that authors should describe more / better: Their characters' behaviors and mannerisms. Things that ground your character in consistency, which you can use later to alert the reader to something. "Character absently pulled a lip balm out of her pocket and spread it across her lower lip - she chewed her lip when she was nervous, leaving it chapped and raw and in constant need of protection." followed chapters later by "New love interest introduced herself and held out a hand. Character chewed her lip as she took the offered hand in hers and quietly replied with a soft 'hey'." Call it "Chekov's character patterns".

One of my favorite descriptions was in the book Spectrum by Samantha Mina, and it was specifically when the main character Scarlet lands in Nuria. For reference Scarlet is from a Nation called Conflagria, and it's like a typical fantasy country set in the desert with a dictatoral government that controls literally everything through mind-controlling the people (okay maybe not typical fantasy land, but in terms of technology and magic, it very much is), whereas Nuria has no magic and is essentially like that world's version of the Modern United States, technology and all. And the Author focused on some very typical details that you would not focus on if you were from there, for example street lamps and Automatic sliding Glass Doors, in such a way that it very clearly communicated how strange this new place was to Scarlet, when the place to the reader was rather typical.

Loved this video especially the beginning when you talk about the use of pretty words in your mind onto paper, I’ve found that sometimes making it far more simpler makes the real big details stand out and make sense

This is very helpful. I often end up getting stuck feeling like I have to describe every single scene, even when it's just a random street or random cafe, or the third patient room that looks virtually the same as the previous two did. So I started slacking and described less and less the more plain/common the space was. I also struggled with setting the scene for the very first chapter, and re-wrote it a billion times until I eventually thought of that I could actually just incorporate the description into character action, just like you bring up in this video, and I ended up very pleased with it! Here's what I came up with: "When Oskar arrived at the broken down house he had grown up in, a few miles outside of the city Emridge, he sped up on the dirt road and force stopped his dented old, gray Ford just outside of the garage. The bumper nudged his older brother Margus’ blue Volvo, which set off a gnarly alarm. Grimacing at the intense sound, he leaned into the car through the open window to turn off the alarm, before stumbling past his younger brother Reigo’s green Jeep on his way to the front door. The old house, which was difficult to find if you didn’t know exactly where to go, and surrounded by pine woods, was located on the east side of USA close to the Canadian border, where crisp cold snow ruled the winters into the early 21st century, and sunshine ruled the summers with an abundance of heat, but this particular spring was unwilling to welcome the promise of a warm summer. On the narrow driveway, haphazardly sprayed with sand still accumulating in the overgrown grass from last winter, the three cars stood parked, one more poorly than the next, as the three adult children had arrived at their parents home."

I think everyone starts out wanting to be as descriptive as possible. Lack of experience translates this into 'lots of words'. Especially if you're a writer who digest more visual than written storytelling. But as you go on writing, you realize that doesn't always mean you need to use more words. Pick the right words, and embed them in the right prose, and you can describe a person or a place without ever taking the reader out of the story.

Oh this has landed at the perfect time. I am doing Nanowrimo next month to edit a manuscript that has been sitting for too long and I am definitely guilty of over describing.

I wait for you videos so eagerly because they motivate me to continue writing

been watching your stuff here and on nebula, and i really appreciate how straightforward and applicable most of your advice is. to the point and with clear examples 👍

If I ever finish writing my trilogy, you'll be in the acknowledgments for sure I've been using a third-limited narrator and all we get to access is the protagonist's feelings, thoughts and theories but I NEVER THOUGHT TO INCLUDE THEIR LITERAL SURROUNDINGS from their perspective. Thank you a thousand times ❤️

As a kid Hogwarts always seemed so real. It drew me in from the start.

I was literally just thinking that I needed to brush up on my descriptions. Stay out of my head Tim!

Right when I was thinking about how much my writing needed this, BOOM! New Hello Future Me video!

Regarding the experience and how that ties into the description - I'm proud of an example of that from my own writing. It's not simply a description that this part of the city is under constant construction and gentrification. It's the character seeing new construction where his family home had burned down. And he daydreams, imagining weeks, months, years go by - at first, superstitions about the tragedy here shape the experience. But over time, they forget. The city's like his great-uncle; its memory just isn't what it used to be. We don't just learn that this district is constantly seeing new construction. We see an anxiety that it's losing its own history in the process. And worry that what remains is a superficial memory - the kids making ghost stories and tests of courage out of rumors vaguely inspired by the inspired.

I appreciate this, it is one of my biggest peeves when reading books. Cormac McCarthy is a master, but would love to see any of your recommendations.

i think camp half blood feels real as it evolves and changes though the books from nothing to a real home for Percy and his friends

The shire, I feel, is one of the best describes locations in all of fantasy.

I actually like reading most of Tolkien's descriptions. They have a calming effect on me and they let me reflect on things, on words. Injust enjoy how he writed about things, not just the things he wrote about. However, I understand why most people don't: The Lord of the Rings reads more like an epic poem in many aspects, and it clashes with certain expectations readers may have. On the other hand, I dislike Sanderson's writing, even though he's very popular. It feels souless to me, his prose is quite dry. But that's the beauty of having so many different writers who do things differently. We can all find something we enjoy.

Tolkien already layed the foundation for an entire genre, I think we can give him a pass for not figuring out the minutiae of the entire thing in the first try.

I love this channel. All the content is useful. Even if I am not a writer, it feels nice to listen to these

This was EXACTLY what I have been needing for the past few years. Thanks.