A year or two ago one of my children handed me a post it note with a quote on it. “The best writing isn’t determined by what happens, but rather by word choice.” I have no idea who said it or where she found it, but it’s been on my writing wall ever since because it expresses a profound truth. Word choice is everything when writing, especially when it comes to the minute details that flesh out a story.
Just think about one of your favorite books and the emotions that it elicited. Perhaps it made you cry or laugh. Maybe parts of it felt so real that you flinched. I’m thinking about the books that seize us and hold us enthralled as we become the characters. Their emotions, setbacks, and triumphs become our own as we devour the book. Our hearts break a little when we turn the last page and discover blank paper. Our souls, reluctant to accept an end of the written story, cry out that there must be more.
What is it about these books that hold us captive?
I heard the answer this week in a historical documentary podcast. One of the historians said a phrase that struck me. It’s been on repeat in my head: “rich with evocative details.”
The best writing is “rich with evocative details.” Those tiny snippets of information serve as a close up lens to focus us on both the emotion and the action within a story. Effective details are the portal to connection. They are the difference between telling a story and showing a story so well that it becomes an immersive experience. As a writer, that’s what I want for my readers.
Anyone can write a telling sentence. For example: Lauren leaned over the toilet and threw up.
Adding details to engage our senses provides an entirely different experience.
Wishing for death and past caring about lurking germs, Lauren gripped the edge of the cold toilet with white knuckles as another wave of nausea ripped through her stomach and convulsed her throat, but there was nothing left to expel beyond a few drops of sour yellow acid that disappeared after a negligible splash.
Poor Lauren sounds like she’s been through a wringer. Did you notice that I never mentioned throw up in the second sentence? I didn’t have to because you knew exactly what she was doing by the action. That’s the power of detail. It gives us an investment in the story. It provokes response. Who is Lauren? Why is she vomiting? How long has this been going on? Is she going to be alright?
Maybe this has been running through my mind because I’m in the process of editing Riley’s Bad Luck. There’s a quote from Robert Frost that I love. He said, “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” I’m taking it to heart as I pore over my manuscript. It’s slow work, but rewarding. A few of the details I’ve added horrified me, which is great because the reader is supposed to be horrified at that moment.
On a broader note, imagine how rich our lives would be if we paid more attention to the evocative details around us. It’s the difference between living and existing. Go experience life and then write down the way it felt, tasted, smelled, looked, and sounded. You might amaze yourself.
Karen Tezen Writes 