How important are minor settings/descriptions?

Another will explain better but the detail can set the tempo. If you're rushing through the country side on a high speed train you're not going to record much detail, but if you're ambling along a country lane with a toddler, more focused on a sherbert dip, in tow, you'll absorb a lot more of the surroundings. That's how I see it any way.

I also prefer to look past the rivet counting detail and tune in to the nuances.

Fantasyart said:

Hi My question is a little strange however I'm going out there with it so go easy on me, lol

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Actually, it isn't. I'm sure I've seen other threads that express similar concerns.

During the course of my book writing I've discovered that at times I skip over the smaller setting elements/descriptions. For example say my character is running through a house to get to his/her bedroom, do I elaborate on the setting of that house in full or just focus on that characters room?
Another example: Say my character is on the road driving do I need to pinpoint what they see preciously? or focus on where they are going filled with the dialogue of him/her talking to another character in the car?

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Some things to consider when deciding when or whether to include environmental detail.

1. Narrative viewpoint and narrative depth. Are you telling this from an external or omniscient narrator who is looking down from above on the main character and is free to provide information that the character isn't aware of at this moment in time? Or are you telling from a character-referenced viewpoint, like first or limited/subjective third? In the latter cases, you couldn't share anything the pov character doesn't know, and if you're at a close narrative distance within this point of view, you wouldn't share anything the character isn't immediately thinking of at this moment in time. I doubt a character who is fleeing through a house is going to notice the pattern of the wallpaper, though she may trip over a carpet or scream and almost faint if she catches sight of herself in a mirror out of the corner of her eye.

2. Pacing. The amount of description will influence how fast the scene moves forward. Again, if the mood is frantic and hurried, you want the pace to be fast. So less description, and description limited to what's immediately important (this would likely be true, even in omniscient pov).

3. Reader familiarity with the setting. If your story is set someplace that's less salient to the reader, they may need a bit more, or a different kind of, description than if the setting is a modern suburban tract house. Even so, the previous two considerations would likely influence the amount of detail you'd provide in a given scene or segment.

4. Is it interesting, and does the information advance the plot, story, or characterization in any meaningful way? If the answer to these questions is no, narrative summary (I got in my car and drove to the crime scene) is probably your best bet.

Which brings up my title, how important is minor/descriptions in/or around relating to settings? If the book flows without intricate detail of surroundings then is it OK to gloss over the insignificant things allowing for the reader to imagine what the environment said character maybe in or should I be painting that picture vividly for them?

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Yes, it's all right to gloss over unimportant details. Writers do it all the time. There's also a place for slowing the pace down and painting a richer picture, but even there, you won't likely describe every little thing in a room or wherever. One example I remember from a writing book regarded a scene with a couple sitting at a table with the woman pouring juice from a pitcher into two goblets. Most readers have a pretty good idea what a juice pitcher looks like, so you probably don't need to spend time describing the way the condensation has beaded on cracked, blue pattern of its porcelain surface.

Unless these details are important. If the fact that the pitcher is a certain shade of blue that precisely matches the woman's eye color tells the reader something important about her character, perhaps. Or if the pov character is hung over and is fantasizing about running their flannel-dry tongue over the beads of moisture on the pitcher's surface, or...

From what you've described, it sounds like you instinctively go to providing less detail in scenes that are faster paced. In this case, it sounds like you're on the right track.

This is a style choice in a lot of ways. Some writers will have more description, others less. There's not a true right or wrong.

I will say this about your two examples... both are dealing with travel time. Sometimes it's better to just to jump to characters arriving (or having already arrived) at the next place instead of detailing how they got there. Unless something important is going to happen on the trip.

About the character running through the house, I can't imagine that person would be noticing a whole lot of details. Maybe one thing would catch his/her eye or something. All depends on why he/she's running.

Fantasyart said:

For example say my character is running through a house to get to his/her bedroom, do I elaborate on the setting of that house in full or just focus on that characters room?

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It all depends on the story.

Think of it this way. When you run through a room, do you consciously notice that the wallpaper doesn't quite match at the seams? Or are you more focused on your destination and the path around furniture or other obstructions?

For example, I personally rarely give detailed descriptions of characters. Readers will fit the description to what their imagination sees. People rarely see Roger as a small girl, but they might see him as black if that's where their imagination and experience lies. If his race is not a part of the story, why should I interfere with the reader's enjoyment?

Jeff

Sometimes the amount of detail you provide the reader can relate to how new the environment is to the character. If the location is new then the character will notice all the obvious features and a few details. If the location is familiar then the character may only pay attention to anything that has changed or is important at the time.

Detail of setting is important. Far more important than many like to think. If editors can be believed, many of my stories sell because of attention to detail in setting. Description sells stories. It just does.

This does not mean you should ride the D train, as Lawrence Block says. You have to know which setting to describe, and which setting to skip. If a character is going to the bathroom, just say he's going to the bathroom. Unless something important happens during this bathroom break, no more is needed.

When characters are driving, they need a reason to be driving. Again, unless something important happens when they're driving, there's no need to show it at all. Far more often that not, it's best just to say, "They/We drove to Henderson", or wherever they're going.

Detail does matter, but something that matters to story needs to happen in every scene, or that scene should usually just be skipped over completely. What happens does not need to be something big or earthshattering, even the right introspection is enough, but it has to be something. So what matter of importance happens when they're driving?

aus10phile said:

About the character running through the house, I can't imagine that person would be noticing a whole lot of details. Maybe one thing would catch his/her eye or something. All depends on why he/she's running.

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And I would think that the thing that caught that character's eye would be especially significant in some way.

Fantasyart said:

Hi My question is a little strange however I'm going out there with it so go easy on me, lol
During the course of my book writing I've discovered that at times I skip over the smaller setting elements/descriptions. For example say my character is running through a house to get to his/her bedroom, do I elaborate on the setting of that house in full or just focus on that characters room?
Another example: Say my character is on the road driving do I need to pinpoint what they see preciously? or focus on where they are going filled with the dialogue of him/her talking to another character in the car?
Which brings up my title, how important is minor/descriptions in/or around relating to settings? If the book flows without intricate detail of surroundings then is it OK to gloss over the insignificant things allowing for the reader to imagine what the environment said character maybe in or should I be painting that picture vividly for them? If I cover the main settings is smaller things OK to skip over or should everything be outlined in detail? I did warn you it was a strange question ha ha
Thanks

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Not a strange question at all.

If a character is running through a house, they are unlikely to be observing everything they pass along the way, so why tell the reader about it? It just slows down the action. Of course, I'm assuming the character has a reason for running. If they don't, just put her in the bedroom. As for driving, or any kind of travel, you don't need to waste words on it unless it is important in some way. You can just say: When she got to LA . . .

As a reader, I like being given a sense of the space the character is occupying, but I don't need/want a blow-by-blow description of every stick of furniture and the exact dimensions of the room. As a writer, I am my own worst enemy. I tend write exactly what I just told you I don't want to read, or I leave it out altogether. For me, it's the hardest part of writing. I do love those odd, little details that many writers put into a scene. They can convey a lot about the character and the setting, and they add authenticity.

Another thing to keep in mind is that writers' styles are different. Some use oodles of lovely, poetic description, some are downright stingy with their stage setting. I enjoy reading both and everything in between. We all have to find our own path.

WriteMinded said:

I do love those odd, little details that many writers put into a scene. They can convey a lot about the character and the setting, and they add authenticity.

Another thing to keep in mind is that writers' styles are different. Some use oodles of lovely, poetic description, some are downright stingy with their stage setting. I enjoy reading both and everything in between. We all have to find our own path.

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Yep, this. And sometimes those little details are what stick with you about a story, because you relate to them, or because they convey something about the character, setting or overall tone. But the quandary about little details is if you toss too many in, the important ones tend to drown.

Just give us what we need to know. I guess that will vary from writer to writer. I have scenes set in current day Manhattan. How much do I really need to tell you about what that looks like? Even if you've never been there, you've certainly seen movies, news clips, many videos, so I didn't think I needed to give you much. Then I have a story set in 1940s Pittsburgh, with all its smoky skies and darkness at noon. Streetlights on around the clock, an umbrella of black smoke clinging to the city--I thought it was necessary. Only give us what is necessary. My take.

Yup. What everyone else says about pacing. A running character sees less than someone who is lying down and smelling the roses. If you're going to shoot someone don't spend page after page describing how you load the gun.

Genre is important too. Some genres demand more detail than others. If you've dragged your fellowship of elves, dwarves and heroes to the mystical temple of Blob, then I'd really like you to take some time to describe said ancient temple. It's important. In the same way, some genres need you to explain what people are wearing or how long a sword is or how a time machine works.

There's something else. I think every secondary object and setting needs at least one piece of description, but it ought to be a good one. If you say that a character runs through a house, I have no idea if this is a little one bedroom hovel or a umptysquillion bed mansion a la Downton Abbey. So I would rarely say that the hero ran through "a house" and leave it at that. I'd want at least some description to get the reader's juices flowing. A modern house. An expensive house. An ancient cottage. It doesn't have to be pages and pages describing the colour of the curtains in every room. Just something to help the reader get their bearings.

Parsing details through a character's eyes can help too. Is your character appalled by how filthy the house is? Or maybe intimidated by the expensive artwork on the walls?

A soldier doesn't just shoot a gun. He fires a .44 magnum. A non-soldier watching this might see only a very large or very loud handgun. So if you describe a scene through a character's eyes, you are not only giving us a little bit about the scene you are also telling us about the character. And you may only need to do this once for each secondary object or setting.

Only focus on that which is important to your story or reveals something about your character. Minor details apply to this too. The details show your audience what's going on. As for much, it's personal preference.