Do you find it hard to write good place descriptions? Try these techniques to write compelling fictional settings that your reader can’t resist.
Good fiction comes in many shapes and sizes but the one thing all great novels have in common is that they pitch their descriptions just right. Describing a place or a setting is essential to draw the reader in, but at the same time no-one wants to read dreary long paragraphs that drone on.
To bring fiction to life, the world you craft with your words must spring into life for your reader. This means providing enough detail to be interesting but not so much that it becomes tedious.
Here are some ideas to write compelling descriptions which your reader won’t be able to resist.
Be a little mysterious
Your descriptions need to be evocative to draw your reader in and make them feel part of the world. As a writer, your job is to transport the reader effortlessly into your imagination, allowing them to experience the environment that you’ve created. Hinting at some details, leaving others out and being enigmatic will leave your reader wanting to learn more.
For example, take the Room of Requirement invented by J.K Rowling in the Harry Potter books. Full of incredible objects, it’s tempting to delve into detail to show the reader exactly how magical Hogwarts is. However, by resisting the urge and just mentioning a few key objects, J.K. Rowling creates curiosity and the reader will unconsciously be drawn further in to learn more.
Include all the senses
We often think of books as just a visual thing, but the other senses don’t need to be left out of your writing. By including fuller descriptions that involve all the senses your reader will be able to relate more intensely to the writing.
Smell is a particularly useful sense to utilise as it’s easy to weave naturally into your writing and will create a strong impression. Combine scent and fragrance with visual descriptions for the maximum effect.
Start right away
Long chunks of text can make readers switch off, but you can keep their attention while still conveying the necessary information to place them into your world.
The key is to start off early and continue to drip information and reminders into the text at regular intervals in a way that feels natural. The precise frequency is up to you but generally every 300 words or so works well.
An example of this would be starting a chapter with a couple meeting by the river to talk something over. A little way into the text, you could insert a sentence like, “I sat in silence on the bench, the cold creeping into my bones while he stared moodily into the rippling water thinking about what I’d suggested”.
This example shows how you can introduce reminders of the setting, without deviating from the development of the plot.
Get creative!
All of the above tips will help you create an immersive experience for your reader but allowing them to access the world as you’ve imagined it. By using adverbs, metaphors and unique descriptive language along with these techniques, your audience will be compelled to keep reading.