@nevernottrevor

shxtty descriptions.

Day 21 of 30 — Public Thoughts

Came across this article by Nathan Baugh talking about writing powerful descriptions…

Paint with Words

It made me fully realize how NOT-powerful my descriptions are…

Couple problems he points out…

1. Adverbs.

“The road to hell is paved with adverbs”

— Stephen King’s On Writing.

2. The ‘Subjective’ Word.

What?

What is a subjective word? Great question. Consider these: Old
Noisy What, exactly, do they mean? Old, in comparison to what? Noisy, in comparison to what? These words are subjective — they’re up for interpretation because the storyteller hasn’t given you any tangible context to interpret! Unless you have personal experience to draw on, you’re left guessing. This, as MacDonald put it, leads to a blurry room.

So what is a good description?

  1. Unique
  2. Specific

Let’s practice by describing random things…

1. Work Desk —

A MacBook Air with a crater where the screen folds that looks like the silouhette of salt lamp that sits in the corner (pro-tip: don’t leave your headphone dongle in the space where the laptop folds) sits on a riser lifting it up just enough where a mouse and faded black track pad, with stains from the person who left it for me, can be used. Snaking off the left side comes the adapter that gives life to everything else on my desk. From the HDMI cord winding up to the monitor to the power cords the twist around the monitor stand. Resting on the far side is the things that never change — a copy of $100M Leads with a shiny front and worn edges and an iPad that is always within reach. But on the other side of the desk is the uneven stack representing an ever-changing compilation of what I’m thinking about — my power list marked with a hastily ripped piece of green tape, a copy of Meditations, the Daily Stoic, and currently the thickest of them all… John Gwynne’s Malice.

2. Story —

Walking to school in the first grade with my mom… I’ve got my red backpack on, which was just about as big as I was… stuffed to the brim with books and just about everything else I could fit… And I’m yapping about how much I don’t want to go to school… “And why exactly not?” … “I’m bored.” … “But you have to learn right?”… “Ya but schools too easy.” … “Well…” … Silence.

I still need some practice...

#mwc