Recently, during a table read of a screenplay, I found myself desperately struggling to stay focused on the story. The dialog grabbed me, but then it was followed by overly detailed description that in some cases filled entire pages before the next words of dialog were uttered. To escape the torture of this interminable glut of narrative, I allowed my mind to drift away into pleasant images of my upcoming weekend plans.
Sound harsh? Maybe so, but the truth remains that excessive description is a fairly common problem amongst new writers and writers who never bothered to educate themselves in the craft. Basically, you want to include only those details that will add something meaningful to your story. You want your writing to be tight. (more…)
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