Holden Blake

I'm writing a novel at the moment and am worried that my scenes are very quick and action-packed, there is resonable, solid descriptions but I am worried that there is not enough flowery language. My dilemma is that I want to write this book for my own enjoyment and I'm afraid that too much detailed anayisis will bore my readers as well as myself! I also wan't to keep the language simple enough so that the novel is generic and readable to everyone. I don't want to end up labouring my points but it just seems as though so much happens very quickly without really giving my readers much time to digest. Perhaps I'm just being over-critical, please let me know what you think.

Stewart

You don't need flowery language. If it's not your style then it becomes obvious if purple passages appear at random within the prose. Ernest Hemingway did not use flowery language. He was practically minimalist in approach. All that matters is getting what you have to say across to the reader, preferably in an coherent way.

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safari invasion

Action scenes tend to lose their zip if pumped full of flowery language. The more direct you are in your action, the more like action it's going to seem. Slowing it down with too much description is going to take away the suspense and excitement.

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imrhati

with action you are direct to the point.

i.e. Do: Arnold punched the man in his face knocking him cross the room.]

Don't: Arnold threw a punch at the man putting all his weight in the single blow. Just as it connected the shock rippled across his face, then he spiraled through eh air and hit the wall throwing up dirt and dust.

First one reads quick, like an actual fight would be, and it doesn't cloud over the actual fighting with extra words.

About slow motion: A lot of writer's will make a common mistake with trying to make moments seems like they are in slow motion. The direct approach is to say, "It all went into slow motion." This is like say italicized before a word instead of putting it in italics.

This is the time when you should add in more detail, becuase it takes longer to read, in comparison it is in slow motion.

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lisajane

You should probably post some of your description, so we can all see where any problems may lie rather than your idea of any problems.

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Stewart

I think this should be an encouraged standard when people post such questions.

Like Stephen King did, in Lisey's Story. Terrible book.

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sml9191

Monotony can occur with too much of anything. Without contrast, fast-paced simply becomes normal pace. If you've ever been on the highway doing 75 mph for a long period of time, you lose your perception of just how fast you are going--until the speed limit changes to 55 mph. Too many fast-paced, action-packed scenes can be just as wearing as a fight scene that takes three pages to describe. You may be appealing to the 3-second channel surfing society that we have become, but then again...how involved in the story can a reader become if the scene changes every 3 seconds.
Steve

Mike C

Just write it, let the pace dictate itself. When you're done, and you read it fresh (and maybe find yourself a couple of impartial beta readers) you may decide to change the pace, but first job is to finish the book.

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Holden Blake

Thanks so much for your advice guys that was really helpful and I apreciate it a lot!