Sometimes reading a piece of writing I get the feeling that everyone described therein is large, scowling, aggressive and ponderous. Regardless of the descriptions given of these people.
Last night, reading something written on a blog I don’t remember ever visiting previously, I was struck by this again. Then I realised what was causing it.
The writing style was such that all I gathered was “heavy, dark, plodding”.
Similarly in the last year I have abandoned reading at least two books. The writer has become so enmeshed in descriptive prose that the characters failed to become real, they were more adornments of the ‘world’ described so carefully that they were one-dimensional, despite the words that had been used to describe them.
It made me once again realise just how fragile the writer’s craft is, how difficult to strike the right balances for specific audiences, captivate them and carry them breathless for more across the landscape of activity, or desiring to linger in the garden of your words.
Viewfromtheside's Blog 
Love your last paragraph. One does want another to sink into their words and enjoy the trip. I’d let the audience find you, and just let it rip in the meantime.
it’s also about avoiding those that don’t engage you
Too much available out there, avoid the plodders.
and the the ‘over fancy and frilly’
Yes!
You might be interested in the post Lisa (who entered your Weekend Theme for the first time last week) put up today about finding the right balance:
http://lkramer14.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/the-balance-of-the-detail/
aha! there is something in the air causing these thoughts
Part of the problem is that they haven’t learned the difference between showing and telling.
I know exactly what you mean, I especially dislike overly descriptive writing.
it feels like frilly loo paper-covers 😉
Well said, Sidey, and a worthy reminder to any writer!
thanks Naomi
These adornments are filler material to make the book longer . Or the efforts of an amateurish author to allegedly help us to envision the scene and its elements. I love creative similes and metaphors and highlight them and later save on 3×5 cards. They add music and color but the rest of the stuff is tedious bunk that slows down the pace. I don’t need 3 sentences on Charlotte’s dress or four on Bob’s car.
Carl, maybe some of us women want a page on THE DRESS, or the guys on THE CAR!
But there is a limit to frills, and to the plodding as well.
We are on the same track. I love character driven stories where details only become significant because they are significant to the characters. And, with all the books I read, I’ve begun to realize that there are only so many ways to describe something found in every story without it seeming dated or overused. Years back my father complained every time some character “rolled her eyes” in a story, and now I know what he means.
we roll our eyes at the rolling eyes descriptions? hehe
I am a bit impatient and when the descriptions get too frilly and long I tend to skip sections or eventually just give up. It is an art to get it right and to be able to let the reader see the person or situation as you would like them to see it.
i agree, i can get turned off and then i can not go back again
Interesting…I know what you are saying, but every once in a while that type of prose is warranted…albeit, the writer must be quite gifted to make it read right ~