Describing a building layout

Couldn't you just say it looked like an open-air football stadium? (Maybe "only rounder," if that's the case?)

ColoradoKate said:

Couldn't you just say it looked like an open-air football stadium? (Maybe "only rounder," if that's the case?)

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I like this, most children have seen a football stadium, even if only on TV.

GigiF said:

If I say the building looked like an amphitheatre and also mention that it reminded the MC of the coliseum in Rome... Is that enough, or should I still describe the layout for the sake of children who don't know what either of those are?

Thanks.

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See ColoradoKate's idea. Children are likelier to know what a football stadium is, than an amphitheatre, or the Coliseum. They are specialty interests, while images of stadiums are common.
You could thn describe any features you particularly want to draw attention to.

That's enough for starters. You'll mention the details in scenes, at the point when it becomes important.

Depends on the age group. For older MG, I think most kids would know what an amphitheater looked like, given that these are very common interests for kids that age and books and movies often feature similar settings.

It also depends on when your story is set and what atmosphere you are trying to build. If you're talking something like Percy Jackson, a reference to a football stadium would be weird. But contemporary, yes, it might work.

My own kids would puzzle far more over the football stadium than the amphitheater, but they read widely and would have come across that concept years ago.

I think most kids who read quite a bit or watch TV much have seen photos of the Coliseum.

But that's not really the point.

The point is that you need to include enough details to paint the mental picture for the reader, without losing the voice or the forward movement of the story.

It's a balancing act, really. Too much description slows the story down; not enough, and we don't feel like we're really there.

If it's a new setting for the main character, someplace she hasn't seen before, then you need to show us the details that strike her as interesting or important. And you need to use those details to set the mood or tone of the scene.

Is it huge? Does she feel overwhelmed by the sheer size of it?

Is it in ruins? Does she feel sad thinking of the things that used to take place there?

Is it threatening, or spooky, or cold and sinister?

Use the description to create the image you want the reader to have. Whatever is important to the story needs to be shown. So it depends very much on the story.

Describe it as it feels natural to describe it. I'd imagine most kids have seen picture of amphitheaters and the Coliseum.