[stylist] visual description was Re: Hemingway quote

[Chris Kuell]

Hi Brenda,

That's a very interesting thought--maybe my critique group notices my lack 
of description more because they are expecting it. That certainly could be 
true, but I think primarily what they are looking for are descriptions of 
characters, and one guy in particular is always asking--how could he do 
that? You should explain more...

I was sighted before I went blind 14 years ago, and I retain most of my 
visual memories. And what I don't have, I find either on the internet, in 
books, or by asking. I'm married to a wonderful lady who happens to be 
sighted, and she's great at narrating and filling me in on details, as are 
my kids. The novel I'm working on now is set in Portland, Maine, which I've 
visited a few times. The last time we were there I had my family narrate 
things they saw, and I tried to pay attention to the feel and smell of 
things. For instance, there's a street called Commercial Street, which is a 
block away from the ocean, so the sounds and smells are there. The street is 
cobblestone, which actually sucks when you're walking with an NFB cane, but 
it's a great detail for my book. There are several Irish pubs, with music 
and the smell of stale beer spilling out every time someone opens a door. 
The street that runs along the edge of the harbor is Dock street, and the 
smells of fish, the squawks of seagulls and commercial trucks are very 
present. According to my family, most of the buildings are white, many look 
weathered by the years of storms and sun, and the windows are tinged with 
dried salt.

In my story, One writer's Tale, I've been to Kerouac's grave, although I 
don't describe it. I also drove across country and spent a week in Montana, 
which is how I was able to put in a few lines of description there, although 
you could easily find similar descriptions on the web. Last spring I set a 
story in Colorado, which I've never been to. But I have a friend who spent 
some time there, and I read about it on the internet (travel and tourism 
sites are often fairly detailed in their descriptions) and then I just made 
up the rest.

Jim was quite correct in pointing out that the little details are often the 
most important ones. I could spend half a page describing a man drinking a 
cup of coffee, when a single line like--He lifted the World's Greatest Dad 
mug slowly, noting the crack and the big chip at the rim, knowing he should 
throw it out, but unable to make himself do so, and drank.--conveys much 
more. One of my favorite lines of all time comes from a novel called, 
'Something Rising Light and Swift' by Haven Kimell. It goes something 
like--The Turner boys were the kind of red-neck, white trash who got their 
jollies drowning puppies and taking target practice in the woods behind the 
elementary school playground. There's no physical description here, but in 
one line I feel like I know these guys, and want to steer well clear of 
them.

All of which brings back the adage that every word counts. Although I'm not 
a poet, I admire them for their word frugality--with only a few words, each 
line must convey emotion. Same goes for song writing. Prose writers could 
benefit from practicing such frugality, at least in my opinion.

chris