2.17.2011

avoidance redux


You may be thinking: Is there a legit reason glittery platform heels are the icon for this post? Yes, there is! (But first. Hi, there! It's been a while!)

The avoidance of the day: voiceless over-detailing.

Let's take . . . a pair of high heels, for example.

One character might see the above shoes as "sparkly blue pumps" while another might see them as "giraffe shoes" or "Snow White slippers on crack." One character might simply think someone "towers" in the heels and another might think: "If that girl falls on her face in the next two minutes, I won't be surprised." Another character wouldn't even notice the shoes. Descriptions are quite a bit more interesting if they're coming out of the voice of the character – what that particular character would ACTUALLY notice and HOW they'd notice it.

There's also: "eyesore," "adorable," and "how can this girl care about the glittery quality of her shoes and the leg-elongating ratio of the heel height when the rain forest is being desiccated like a downed zombie after the apocalypse?" Okay. That last one packed a rambling punch, but whatever. Now what about: "Her lace eyelet mini-dress perfectly complemented her glittery dark blue heels, which held her aloft from the ground by four extra inches. . ." Zzz.

You could say my skills in writing are of the "wannabe professional" type, so do what you will with my "tips" and feel free to leave some of your own in the comments. :)

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