thread: 2009-06-08 : Restating: Fictional Causes and Realization
On 2009-06-08, Christian Griffen wrote:
So, usually Frank is my brain twin, but I've got to add a caveat here. Neglecting the SIS is never good, but there are plenty of stories that manage without a whole bunch of sensory details.
I'm in some ways exposed to the other end of the spectrum, too, which obviously colors my impression. Many times in chat games, people will write post after post about the environment, what their characters look and sound and move like, the smells in the air, and all that jazz, showing off their fancy description skills and attention to detail. And I'm sitting there thinking, "Get to the fucking point already!" For many people I've played with, it's like all being there and little things happening. So, fine, let's make sure we have a good sense of what the place is like and what the characters are experiencing, but for fuck's sake, don't do it to the point where I feel like I'm reading the nonfiction work of a detail-obsessed travel writer.
I'm just saying: sometimes a quick glance at the SIS details is fine with me, as long as we're paying attention to the characters and moving the story forward. It doesn't have to mean reading a book too fast, it can be reading a book that's not a pages-of-description love fest but a modern minimalist character story.
