“Shall I describe it to you, or would you like me to find you a box?”

― Legolas to Gimli in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Movie)

I copped out a little this week. This isn’t actually the quote I wanted to discuss, but the one I do isn’t a fantasy quote, so I figured the above classic would do as a lead-in.

The following came up in my Facebook feed yesterday:

“When reading, we don’t fall in love with the characters’ appearance. We fall in love with their words, their thoughts, and their hearts. We fall in love with their souls.” -Anonymous

This caught my eye because it matches up pretty well with my philosophy on description in my own writing. I think it’s important for a character to have a salient feature or two so they can be easily identified: Baz has his hat and brand, Rox is giant and has a nasty weapon, Leanna has purple eyes, etc.

But beyond that, I tend to go light on description, not just for characters, but setting as well. As a reader, I tend to gloss over extended descriptions and let my imagination paint a scene, using the words on the page as vague guidelines rather than strict rules.

As an author, a find writing descriptions tedious, which partially explains my writing’s general lack of fine details. But the larger reason is that I believe appearances should be left largely to the reader’s imagination, or at least the text should leave open that possibility.

It’s easy to forget that the images we subconsciously conjure in our own minds are based largely on our own life experiences, biases, and what we’re generally most comfortable with. I’m not saying that’s a problem (at least not in the context of exercising your imagination as you read a novel). But as an author writing for a large audience, I don’t want to alienate others by forcing my imagined appearances onto others except when it’s necessary to the story I’m telling.

For instance, it’s important that Baz has a dragon branded to his forehead, as it identifies him as a Speaker/slave and also serves as a constant reminder of the cruelty he’s fighting against. However, the exact color of Baz’s hair, or the shape of his nose, or even the shade of his skin doesn’t matter to the story, so I see no need to dwell on those details. You–the reader–can fill them in however you like.

At the end of the day, I don’t necessarily write to create specific images in my readers’ minds. Rather, what most interests me are the interactions between characters; the complex, and often difficult, questions and conflicts that arise when people who don’t like one another are forced together, or when those who care for each other are driven apart by circumstance. I write to create emotions, both on the page and in the hearts and minds of my readers, and I leave it to my readers to imagine the characters experiencing those feelings in whatever manner works best for them.

What do you think? Do you like my way of doing things, or do you prefer intricate descriptions of every character and setting? I don’t think there’s a write or wrong answer, but I am curious what others think. Email me, dtkane@dtkane.com.

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”

― J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan

At the risk of coming off as arrogant by quoting myself, this week’s quote brought to mind something I intend to have one of the characters in Fire and Ink say: “Doubt is the greatest enemy of inspiration.”

        It’s easy to get down on yourself when life gets hard. Or, maybe we don’t even need to speak so broadly. It’s easy to be frustrated when anything gets hard. But remember, the closer we get to achieving something worthwhile, the harder it often seems to reach the goal.

        This is why discipline is so important in virtually any endeavor. Inevitably at some point that self-doubting voice is going to start whispering at the back of your mind to give up, and if you don’t have your discipline to fall back on–your day-in, day-out routine of getting down to work–then you’re much more likely to succumb. But when you show up and do your work each day, success is almost inevitable. 

        So don’t listen to that voice, put your head down, and get to it! Before you know it, you’ll find yourself soaring over your obstacles and toward the horizon of your aspirations.

Note to readers: Each week (or, most weeks, anyway), I share an inspiring quote from a fantasy book or author and wax poetic about it, indulging my inner philosopher. If you have a favorite fantasy quote, email it to me and I may share it in a future newsletter: dtkane@dtkane.com.

“Life would be unbearably dull if we had answers to all our questions.”

―Jim Butcher, Death Masks

 As I was browsing Goodreads for this week’s quote (sorry if that spoils the fantasy some of you may have had of me sitting in an easy chair, thumbing through physical books each Thursday night for the quote of the week), I stopped on this one because it made me think of a couple valuable lessons. 

       (Also, I’ve been continuing my read through of the Dresden Files, so it caught my eye (I’m listening to Cold Days, Book 14 in the series). If you’ve never listened to the Dresden audiobooks, do yourself a favor and go download Storm Front (Dresden Files #1)now. They’re narrated by James Marsters (who played Spike in the Buffy TV show), and he is excellent. Right up there with Tim Curry and the husband-wife duo of Michael Kramer and Kate Reading.)

        Anyway, back to the quote. First, I think we all sometimes get too preoccupied with answers: 

• I’m not sure I know how, so I just won’t try. 
• Why did he do that? 
• What will happen if I make this change? 

        The search for answers can become paralyzing, and the fact is, sometimes an answer isn’t readily available. Or, there isn’t just one answer. Should you change your job? There are pros and cons. Is it wise to tackle a new project at work even though you aren’t sure you can do it? It’s a risk, but you could impress your boss. Why did that guy snap at you yesterday? Maybe his mom just died. Or maybe he’s just an asshole. 

        I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t think critically and weigh what we know, but we must also accept that there will always be more information to gather, always more time to think. Consider carefully, then act with conviction. Will things always go right? Of course not. But a life of action is better than a life of regretting your inaction. 

        A related thing this made me think of is the news. Ugh. There’s a lot of bad that goes on in the world, and the news shoves it into our faces because it’s the ugly and shocking that sells papers (or online advertisements), not the pleasant and heart-warming. 

        I know people who agonize over all the tragic headlines. But ask yourself–how much value do you actually get from the news you consume? There’s little you can do about most of it, and for the truly evil things that are so often reported, there’s no use obsessing over how someone could do such a thing because there’s often no good answer (see above).

        Now, I don’t advocate ignoring the news completely. But as with most things, it’s best consumed in moderation. Read the headlines, scan a few articles if you must, but when your blood pressure begins to rise, put down the paper or your smart phone and go read a novel instead. It will make both you and authors everywhere happier.

Note to readers: Each week (or, most weeks, anyway), I share an inspiring quote from a fantasy book or author and wax poetic about it, indulging my inner philosopher. If you have a favorite fantasy quote, email it to me and I may share it in a future newsletter: dtkane@dtkane.com.