Let me say upfront, I am NOT a writer, To claim I was would be like my Grandmother claiming she was a Chef. Oh, she was a fabulous cook, one of some renown in the tiny little town she lived in. She could make the most delicious of meals, but it takes a deeper understanding of the culinary arts to earn the title of Chef.
Similarly, I lack the technical knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation that real writers have mastered. Frank Lee is a writer, and one who has probably forgotten more on the subject than I’ll ever know.
What I am is a passable storyteller. This leads to the question, what has that to do with the presidents dog? To answer that, let me tell you a story.
Back when I was in high school, so many years ago, each student in my history class was given an assignment. We were instructed to write a short biography on a specific leader. Each of us was assigned a different president to write about. Mine was Theodore Roosevelt. Next to me, was a girl named Maribel who was assigned Taft.
Am I digressing? Well, that is rather the point. You see, within the first two paragraphs, Maribel made reference to the presidents dog. From that point on, her report became a discussion of the various and humorous anecdotes that surrounded this particular canine. It was interesting and fun, and not at all what she was supposed to be writing about.
As it happened, our teacher was a descendant of Howard Taft. Consequently, she couldn't resist poking holes in the report in front of the entire class. Her comments were not meant to be harmful or embarrassing, but poor Maribel became the brunt of a rather long running joke.
The point I'm beating around is, the details matter when you are writing a story. They are critical for creating a mood, and for setting the stage for the act that follows. They connect the reader, and allow him or her to feel what you want them to feel. In this way, you can draw them in and get them emotionally invested in your story.
The problem is, the longer your story is, the more likely some of us are to go into too great a detail on those little bits of ambience. They cease to be supports for your story and become a distraction to the reader. If this continues, the reader will lose interest and begin to skim, or far worse, start skipping ahead.
You must remember that any such detail, background or nuance must have a purpose. It must say something important that you want to say, and must somehow segue into the rest of the story. When that happens, when you get lost in those details, readers click away, or worse, finish and give one of those dreaded 3’s of 4’s.
How you do this is a matter of reading the story yourself, and recognizing when you are becoming bored. If, at any time, you feel like skipping ahead, rest assured your readers will. Know what your concept is, and follow it throughout the story, Tell the parts that enhance it and try to make it come alive. Just remember, no one really gives a shit about the presidents damn dog.
Internet Philosopher
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