When is the description too much

Use this forum to discuss the June 2019 Book of the month, "Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War" by Dorothy May Mercer.
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Re: When is the description too much

Post by RoxieReads »

I think that this book could have actually benefited from having a bit more description of character’s past. They were incredibly flawed, and maybe if we understood where they were coming from more, it would be better.
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Post by KCWolf »

I'm a "less is more" type of person when it comes to descriptive passages. Then again, there's the "show don't tell" rule.

An entire book of "telling" can be just as boring as a book of rambling descriptive passages. Yes, some sensory details are great but too much and readers are experiencing more of the scenery than the scene itself, so to speak.

I think most GOOD books contain just the right amount of showing and telling.

I also don't care for too much detail in sex scenes or unnecessary profanity. If it fits the scene or the character speaking I can understand using a curse word or two. However, I don't need a play by play of what two characters are doing in the bedroom.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

I think it becomes too graphic when it becomes gratuitous or too much. Like in this book, the characters were not well described but we got a ton of detail about the abortion medication? That was poorly balanced.
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Post by Aubrey Lewis »

For me, descriptions should be used as simply as possible. It's nice to be wordy, but not excessively. I really dislike it when the author describes something, like a scenery for example, too much. Same goes for a person's appearance.

As for the graphic scenes as well as the sex and foul language, I personally think it's best to have a warning for readers. Some people like reading details like that, some don't. I think it's just a matter of preference and writing style. This is only my opinion, though.
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Post by LeeleeByoma »

Even when it comes to sex scenes and coarse language, I don't mind the descriptions if they are necessary for moving the story forward. An example of such is the book I reviewed last. When the description is unnecessary for the story though, miss me with that. I would hate to waste time reading an endless description that is neither relevant nor humorous.
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Post by NataMav »

To be honest my teacher used to use the term 'There is never too much description' during classes when we had to do assignments. I didnt agree with her. When there is too much description in one sentence the paragraph gets so boring so I'd tend to skip it. Example: She slowly trotted on a gravel path, hoping that her poor wild, fluffy pet will be able to keep up the steady and quick pace so that she wouldn't have to carry it.

It literally gets too boring and too long to remember.

So my point is that the description can be good if it's spaced out evenly between the paragraph and pages, but isn't just randomly thrown in. I hope this makes sense.
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Post by DD129 »

I love a lot of detail, but if it gets too long, it becomes tedious to read. If it doesn't flow well and just sounds like the author is awkwardly stacking things together, then it's best to stay simple. Description should sound natural and provide something to the story.
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Post by Hugo_W »

I agree with the many who are saying it's all on when it stops being interesting. i really love a lot of details, but sometimes it makes run-on sentences, and sometimes it creates a chapter that you start to skim through. i do it with my own writing when i get too excited and then read it back - like whoahhh, ted, cut half of that out please.
with profanity and such, i think it's better to have one or two characters to be the cursers and others to not, if you're going to have a story with that. sometimes people think it's better to lay it on thick, and make it more "adult" by filling sentences with words or making too many exclamations of the f-word at any turn of events. dude, you can use other things than that. at some point, it gets hard to decipher who's talking because everybody curses the same amount, like i get it, your chars are from the mob but....seriously. the same with sex too - you can tell when it gets gratuitous, and that's good to some people, but like in Cynthia and Dan - would we not all prefer for her not to diddle Sky and get pregnant? maybe that's just me?

also, another point to do with specifically Cynthia and Dan is that details were often more tell than show, but there were still so many details that added endless filler to the story. and i totally agree with the point that the birth control bit was odd. on a bit of an off note, why did she not know what Plan B was, and why did he read it to her?! can she not read?! can they not read silently because the reader already has gotten the message?! anyways.
my biggest peeve is that Cynthia was told to be some cool blackbelt chica yet ignored so, so many red flags, and never truly showed off her skills. additionally, she was described as some luscious hot lady so many times, yet we never - despite all that description - got a good look at her face, only her hair and a few scenes where male characters fawned over her. which were creepy. AKA the time Sky stared at her lips while she tried to drink her water. so there's my rant.
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Post by Jacquelyn-63 »

The moment that the author doesn’t allow the story to stand on its own is when it’s too much for me. It’s almost like they add sex, language, and overly violent scenes to add a shock and awe factor. It’s like they are trying to make it more like a movie and don’t focus on the storytelling. Sometimes there are too many details added that end up drowning you out of being interested. I like there to be a nice even flow without having to add in all the little extras that aren’t even integral to the book.
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Post by Gishala1 »

Generally I have no problems with graphic sex scenes or foul language once it suits the genre of the book. That being said, I've read a few books that I found went overboard with graphic or detailed descriptions. It felt like authors ran out of imagination, and as another poster said, seemed like fillers for their books.
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Post by Browlyns »

It depends on the talent of the writer. Sometimes you might find a book with too much detail but it is rich in style and literature making it enjoyable while others are just amateurish that you find boring. In my opinion there nothing graphic in literature.
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Post by Letora »

greystreak wrote: 13 Jul 2019, 14:47 I just finished reading Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War by Dorothy Mercer[/i]. I felt the characters were not given enough personality or physical attributes to make them interesting. I felt that the reader could not connect to the story due to the lack of information.
Then we read It’s hard to be a Vampire by Viktoria Faust where the details were so graphically intense that the book, in my opinion, was a disaster to read.
When is a book to graphic for you?
In my opinion, the writer can leave out the detailed sex scenes and foul language. I have been reading Nora Roberts for over 20 years and never have her love scenes been distasteful and the foul language is at a minimum. As J D Robb her In Death series, there is some foul language but it flows with the story. I do not get the feeling she adds foul words to follow the modern trend of writers today.
I hate sex scenes in books. They are boring and distasteful in my opinion. There are so many better ways to describe intimacy than just sex. Five Feet Apart was a brilliant example of a relationship without touch. With Cynthia and Dan the warning alone of a sex scene made me grimace. It was like flashing a huge sign that wasn't needed.
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Post by raikyuu »

I think that descriptions should give life to the story. When I read fiction, I like to believe that I'm living in that story, so I rely on descriptions to bring me to that state. I guess it's not about whether there is too much description or not, but rather how they were used (either to affect, inform, advance the plot, deceive, etc.) For things that are graphic such as sex or violence, we can use the author's perspective to answer why such things were included.
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Post by Tamorie Hargro »

I, for the most part, enjoy description. I need to feel connected to the characters and involved in their storyline when I read a novel, and I feel like I can't do that if the author skimps on the description. However, I think description becomes too much when it feels 'rosy,' describing things just for some added effect that no one needs. If we already understand what something is, I don't need it described three more times in the same story.
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

Some readers love the descriptions and some find it as annoying (readers such as me). But it is hard to please everyone at the same time
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