location location

[Catalyst]

when writing a story when is the best time to describe the location of the place the characters are.
and if it is only a reasonably short scene you are writing, but that location is important further on in the book should you go into depths about it in the short scene or further on.
and if you are writing a short scene should you descibe the location at all in depth.
sorry if iv confused you

amy

 

[Ashlea]

I think descriptions are best when they focus on evocative details. A small detail that really enhances the scene is better than 2 pages of "It was a nice day. The grass was green. The sky was blue. etc."

 

[RainbowGurl]

when writing a story when is the best time to describe the location of the place the characters are.
and if it is only a reasonably short scene you are writing, but that location is important further on in the book should you go into depths about it in the short scene or further on.
and if you are writing a short scene should you descibe the location at all in depth.
sorry if iv confused you

amy

When you put location location as the title I thought you ment the TV programme

 

[Stewart]

I think you should only bother with whatever parts of the location are important.

For example, if a character is running down a street then they aren't going to be taking it all in so a few brief details will do as they run past them. They might see a car turning, someone at a window, a woman pushing a pram - no time for specifics. On the other hand, if it's a lazy weekend afternoon and the character is strolling down the street then they have more time to notice what's going on around them - they'll notice the make of the car, they'll be able to notice the person in the window is Mrs so & so with a new hairdo, and that the child in the pram is a boy with a thin head of light strawberry hair.

 

[Irene Wilde]

Catalyst,

For studies in location, I would recommend Dashiell Hammett's "Maltese Falcon" and Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep." These are short books, yet they evoke the locations (San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively) so that the location is almost a character and deeply associated with the story, yet few words are wasted.

I hope that's helpful.

Irene Wilde