I am great with dialog and a bit weak on description. I have a character who works in a doll factory, say in the 1980s, but I don't know how to describe a doll factory. Anyone have any ideas where I could find a good description?
What kind of research have you done so far? What do you know about doll factories? Also, I imagine it'll vary a lot based on type of doll, setting, etc.
I have just looked googled "doll factory" and not come up with anything. This would be the small, cheap dolls you used to find in five and dime stores about 3 or 4 inches tall.
Those are likely to be made in factories overseas with long hours, sweatshop conditions etc. Have you looked up conditions in sweatshop factories? Not to say all factories for dolls are bad, of course, but many are.
That you said you "just" googled it makes me think you didn't do anything of that sort until Mallory suggested it, so really it's your own fault that you don't know anything about doll factories, isn't it? If you don't know how to describe something and you want to, do real research. You've got a brain there. Don't just take it out and dust it every now and then. USE IT.
Try more than one search term. Say: toy manufacturing plastic toy manufacturing factory plastic toy factory plastic novelties making plastic toys plastic toy manufacturers and so on and so on.
Is there actually such thing as a factory that only makes dolls? You might have better luck researching toy factories and adapting your description from there.
Ever watch the movie Child's Play? It had that serial killer than transferred his soul into the body of a doll and went on a murder spree. The final battle between the kid and the murderous doll takes place in a doll factory. I don't know how real the doll factory in the movie is compared to an actual doll factory, but it might help your research.
The question isn't whether you have every detail about the manufacturing of dolls in the 1980s. While your accurate depiction will be a nice touch, what you need to focus on is the underlying theme behind the dolls. What symbollism can be derived from the stoic, yet blissful faces of the dolls? Could you compare the dolls to the people who create them? Easily, without overdoing it. A single paragraph that not only encompasses the workplace but also the people inside, and then one directly after that shows the stark contrast between a newly crafted doll and the person who takes it off the assembly line. Not to be preachy, but you have to use imagination to draw mental correlation between things that have none, not give us a machine-by-machine rundown of the factory's inner workings. Also, maybe it's your plot that is bogging you down. If you don't have some action to catapult the conflict into play, you might find yourself wandering aimlessly around your factory. Put velocity in there. Know where you're going before you take off. Just some suggestions, none to be taken too critically. Have a nice day. By the by, I like the setting.
