Action and Location

I have found that people tend to write in one of two ways. They either describe action or they write about location. I have written about this before, but I have a new slant to bring. I have the gall to choose one style over the other.

I believe that writing in an active style is the better method. Every time that I read, no matter the subject, author, or genre, if the author starts going into heavy description of a place or a person, I instantly lose interest. Eventually, I reach a point where I'm saying "I get it, this place is dark and gloomy" or "I get it, this man is old and pathetic". In short, stop talking so much and get to the point. I never read a piece that had so much action that I was upset at not knowing where I was.

Action is inherently interesting. Because it is always moving, the audience must follow; otherwise they would be lost. But large amounts of description are like a painting. They are a single, unmoving scene. The only way to get something out of them is to wander and explore them, specifically to get lost because there is nothing to follow. Certainly there are people who enjoy that. Sometimes I enjoy it. The problem I have is that once you have action, stopping that action instantly drops the interest of a piece.

I enjoy a good scene, both reading and writing one. Sometimes we all need to stop, explore, and contemplate. But a single scene is like a picture. A picture, from what I hear, is worth a thousand words. A thousand words is about 2 double-spaced pages in a word document. That isn't very much, but it can describe a picture fairly well. If I had a collection of scenes that were a thousand words each, I think it would be lots of fun, very entertaining, and a great book to read a passage from every night before I go to bed.

If I'm reading a novel, it means I'm reading a story. A story is about things that happen. The scenery only matters when it affects the action. Reading several paragraphs describing the clothes and smell of an old man on a train really don't do anything for me. If the protagonist finds himself shifting uncomfortably or leaving his seat because the old man across from him smells like raw cat feces and rancid veal, then that description matters. But even in such a situation, the description can be given as part of the action. "He left his seat, choking on the smell of raw cat feces and rancid veal coming form the old man's beard." It doesn't matter what kind of coat he was wearing, what color it was, or the state of his shoes. Every relevant description is already given, as well as why it is relevant.

Be active. Be interesting. If you want me to read your stuff, make me want to read your stuff.