How do you learn to write strong imagery?

[Freikugel]

I haven't ever been all that great at describing scenes outside of the basic stuff. Usually, it's just the people there, a few basic details about the room, and whatever's happening in the scene. I never thought it necessary to spend too much time describing the places people are in but I've realized that strong imagery can work to give a scene a clearer "feel" and not necessarily have to be dull. Problem is that I've no clue where to start. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Aero Blue]

As a whole, I think the most general writing tip to improve as a writer is to read more.

Specifically, hmm:

- Word choice! Some words are simply more evocative than others, or evoke specific things that fit more than others. Consider (and this is a bad example cause I'm not a great scene writer either), the difference between a phrase like 'the wind blew' and 'the wind thrashed'. The second is more evocative overall (although not necessarily more effective if the scene isn't meant to be a harsh, stormy deal).

Reading to build vocabulary helps with increasing your arsenal. Thesauri do the trick as well.

- A lot of people will tunnel on what a scene 'looks' like, specifically. While obviously not strictly falling under 'imagery', describing all five senses creates stronger descriptions (note, for example, the smell of summer, of gasoline). And it's more immersive, as the character in question experiences five senses, and not just one.

And that's all that comes to mind at the moment :p

 

[Elle Joyner]

Less is more. Less is ALWAYS more. People have a tendency to think the more imagery, the more you'll be able to visualize... but this is FALSE. If you OVER describe a scene, all that ends up happening is your reader gets to a point where they no longer feel as though they are connected to the scene. Maybe you can perfectly detail out the thread count of the curtains hanging in the old lady's foyer... but what was the scene about?

The best thing to do is pick out details that MATTER to the writing - pick out the imagery that you want your reader to focus on... the rest, they're more than able to fill in on their own. Use your senses, as Shiz suggested - the smells, the sounds - but never describe more than you have to, to get your point across.

 

[junebug]

Read, read, read. Practice, practice, practice.

 

[Shiri]

Put yourself in the shoes of your character and think about what sort of things they would notice in a scene. In real life our brains don't record every little thing in front of us and that can be mirrored in writing. Don't be afraid to omit details that seem unnecessary. Your audience probably doesn't care about the wattage of a light bulb nestled in a lamp your character is using. You want to share significant details that serve the story and describe them in ways that match the tone.

I also struggle with the balance of descriptions, but I hope that this example from my writing might be of help:

'Clouds bunched together like bundles of gray wool over the light of the lunar star. The moon's rays washed over the land in short tides, alternating between dark shadows and patches of light. Under the graying weather rode a desperate man on horseback as he rushed to complete his given orders. The beast under him gasped and sputtered as they braved the slopes to the gates.'

In this case I go into depth with the chaos of the sky and weather to set up a storm that happens later in the chapter. The man is described as desperate, but little else, since I don't want the reader focusing on him just yet. Similarly you don't even get the color of the horse, only that it is a horse and some clues that it is exhausted.

 

[LunaValentine]

If you ever need a particular writer to look at I suggest Brian Jacques. His feast scenes in the Redwall series always sound so good. It's also a good series for understanding character speech inflections. But that's just my opinion :)

 

[Villains]

I suggest segmenting the experience to some extent. If you want to get as descriptive as possible, you'll want to break down the overall scene or location or emotion into parts. That, and reflection from the character's point of view in addition to those segmented parts.

If you want a good example, Stephen King's It. If you want another good example, Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire. If you want another good example, Frank Herbert's Dune.

So on and so forth.

Examples mentioned are incredibly diverse, but they're all heavily descriptive in different ways, so even a few pages to see the style would be enough to direct you in how you might go about expanding/adding to your writing.

 

[The Mood is Write]

In my experience as a writer who enjoys making people cry, it's a combination of factors, and there is no solid rule to always follow. I have a few guidelines I use, though:

• Read the mood.
  • Usually, this means slow your writing with attention to detail if you want the reader to breathe. Be careful not to over-saturate, though. Imagine it's like someone entering a friend's new home and looking around for a moment at the entryway.
  • For high-pulse scenes, stick to the KISS rule. How much is your character going to notice when they're roundhouse kicking someone in the face? They might not see the person's jaw stretch and spittle fly away, but they'll feel the impact and hear the thud as the person lands.
  • However, if you want to insert slow-mo, bring on that jaw-stretch and flying spittle, and maybe how their eyes bulge and how they do a spin before they smash into the carpet. This is also useful for when a character feels like they're watching and not taking part in a scene, like it isn't registering emotionally with them.
  • Higher emotions and pulse tend toward quick details.
  • Lower emotions and pulse tend toward more description.
• Stick to what your character perceives.
  • They might hear something behind them, but they won't see it.
  • When moving quickly, they won't make out as many details.
  • Mind altered? Perception altered.
  • Doesn't have to always make sense.
• Read.
  • Don't just read the story, read how the story is put together.
  • Notice what words and phrases the author likes.
  • Copy down descriptions that make you feel something.
  • Don't stick to one genre.
  • References also count as reading.
• Write.
  • Experiment.
  • Push your boundaries.
  • Don't start writing in the same mood your character is in—see if through writing, you can achieve that mood.
  • Spend time on developing what your character is going to prioritize perceiving.
    • Experiment writing characters who lack senses or have senses you don't have as a writer.
    • Are they more logical or emotional?
    • How does their mind filter their experiences?

Aside from that, it comes down to the last thing, practice, the most. However, it's impossible to only output. You have to take things in, so that you can put things out.