I tend to visualize a scene as I write, almost like staging a scene for a movie or play. Visualizing a scene helps me describe it in detail, particularly the gestures of the characters, the lighting, the objects and set pieces of the environment, etc.
A motif in my writing is the sky, particularly the time of day and the lighting cast by the sun or the moon. For me, it sets the tone, and I can visualize almost everything else as it happens. If it’s dark, I tend to write a scene more edgier. If it’s the morning, things are happening slower–calmer.
The pace at which the characters are moving also affect how I write a scene. If they are running, I tend to write it as if it were a chase scene. But if the characters are sauntering or moving at a slow pace, I give the characters a chance to talk or to explore the environment.
There are some authors that are very descriptive of the environment/scenery, and others that describe just enough so that you know what’s going on. When there are paragraphs or pages of minute detail, I’ll get lost in the text and lose focus on what’s happening. For example, if there is a ton of detail on the appearance of a character, I’ll lose track of what’s going on since I’ve spent a larger part of my concentration trying to picture/visualize the character.
I’d have to double back to figure out what the context was to put the information back together. But when too little description is given, I’m not sure how to visualize the scene or where the characters are geographically. It gives me the impression that the characters are merely cardboard, or that the scene is flying by without much there to imagine it lucidly.
There needs to be a balance, especially once a scene begins. As a reader, I want to be pulled into the world and to have a clear idea of what’s going on. Once the scenery is established, I feel it’s easy to follow the scene, and, perhaps, the rest of the story.
Fallton Havenstonne 