Does anyone else ever do this in their writing? You're writing and you're writing and you get to a description (or something like that) and you do the following... I always seem to end up doing when I've just started writing a clip and I don't have the image firmly in my head, and I don't want to waste too much of my time trying to come up with a description. I'll end up just skipping it and making a quick note of what I have to do there. Later, I'll come back and edit it in. Does anyone else do this?
I usually only do this for a particular word - I leave a ---? and then go back to it when I've looked it up or recalled it. I don't think I've ever left out a complete description - as it could affect how my characters behave or the mood of the scene.
If the description is that important to the scene, it's in my head. At any rate, those parts of the setting that are important will come out within my writing, and just help me develop the description that I can add in at the beginning. So that's usually not an issue for me.
When drafting, and the creative juices are flowing full force, I like to get down what is going on as soon as possible. Descriptions are easy to add later, and I often do the same as you with making notes in square brackets. I like to get all the important points of a scene down, fast! I'll also write terrible sentences and have equally bad word choice. It doesn't matter. . . All in the rewrites.
*another hand shoots up with such force it dislocates the shoulder* Anything interrupting the old juices gets the [xxxx] treatment.
I do it but mostly for nouns I either don't know or a name I yet have to invent, so you get (enter name) or (check name). But also, if I get stuck on a description I'll move on after a while, but usually I'll get back to it by the end of that writing session.
I just write a generic one that I end up changing at a later date Your method is probably better though because it's more efficient for sure.
No, I have to have it then and there. What the characters are seeing, I have to see or I don't know how they should react, or feel, or speak, or - well, anything.
I've never done that. I can always improve a description, but that kind of break would bring me out of the flow of the story.
Definitely. Usually even before the end of what I'm writing, I'll have a clear(er) image of what I was intending to describe that I burn into my head until I'm finished writing, and then I go back and add all the things that I forgot before. See, for me, the opposite is true. If I'm genuinely stuck on how to put what I mean into words or I can't even seem to get an image in mind, then that's what disrupts my writing flow, and thus leads to the quick note. I only really do this if I sit there trying to come up with something for a while as a sea of words that begins after what I'm struggling with is itching at the back of my mind and I get so frustrated that I just say "See you!"
I don't but i have a profound problem with over-describing and i thought i should share this: Alliteration is your best friend.
Ditto. I'm a constant editor, so, no. What if what I've written changes the characters, or even the (sub)plots? It's better (for me) if I know exactly what I'm getting myself into.
I've found myself doing this same thing from time to time, and it's reassuring to hear that I'm not the only one.
Never have, never will. Then again I don't do a lot of overly descriptive language regarding streets.
I do, I do, I do! Mostly, it's because my plot is reality based so some things I need to ensure are correct and I don't want to interrupt the flow of the writing to make sure I'm right about a description, etc.
