Writing for Goldilocks

 

At the conclusion of a book club meeting, a woman stopped the discussion. "Dean, you struck the right balance when describing the scenes and characters. I finished another author's bestseller in one evening. The author spent so much time describing meaningless details that I skipped over pages to find the story's meat. I don't care what shape a cloud is or what shade green a room has been painted. I want the plot to move ahead."

Another reader added, "Yes, you give us enough description so we can form an image of the characters and place in our minds without putting us to sleep. You hit the Goldilocks spot."

Those comments made me reflect a couple of things. Twenty years ago, I contacted a literary agent about representing me. I send her a manuscript. It came back a week later with the first twenty pages marked up with red ink like a term paper. She said, "I quit after twenty pages because you aren't giving me enough character and place description. You need to open every scene with at least one page describing the scene, the characters, and how they're dressed. Send this back after you've done that."

I declined her advice. and we parted ways. I'm sure she's representing some best-selling author who fills his/her books with flowery descriptions. I'm very plot driven. After some minimalist description, I want the readers to create their own images of the characters and locations. Jill Fletcher is slender, doesn't wear makeup, and is hung up about her figure. Doug is middle-aged and ruggedly handsome.

That approach has led to some interesting discussions. A reader approached me after a book event and said, "I know just what the killer looks like. He's Garrison Keillor's twin brother."

I've read authors who spend a great deal of the book painting verbal images for the readers. I started reading a book by famous British author. She spent the first three pages of a book describing a dingy dormitory hallway as her protagonist walked to her room. It was wonderfully detailed, right down to the description of the different shades of lipstick on the cigarette butts in the sand outside the doorway. The problem was, I didn't care. I wanted a hook to pull me into the story.

At a recent Mystery Writers of America conference, a famous author spoke about the process of his best-selling book becoming a movie. He sold the movie rights to a film studio. The studio hired a screenwriter (a whole different skillset than writing a mystery). The book's author received a copy of the screenplay (for his approval). He was appalled that the opening scene, a man walking into a room where his wife was decorating their Christmas tree, had been boiled down from three pages to "Man enters room where wife is decorating Christmas tree." He called the producer, who explained that they had set and costume designers who would create the room and dress the characters. It was at that point that the book's author realized that he'd sold the rights to his characters and a rough plot. The screenwriter, producer, director, and actors would modify it as they saw fit. His input was neither wanted nor appreciated.

Back to Goldilocks. I try to walk a fine line. I got two conflicting bits of feedback on Dead End Trail. A female friend, who attended Catholic schools in a small town where all the children were immaculately conceived because no one in her town had ever had sex, called. "Dean (sigh) I was disappointed by the extreme amount of sex in your recent book." I seized up, trying to recall ANY sex in the book. Eventually, I replied, "My characters went into their motel room and closed the door a few times. I moved to another scene once the door closed." She replied, "But I KNEW what they were doing, Dean!"

A different reader spoke to me about the same topic, in the same book. "Dean, you break away from the romance scenes just when they're getting interesting." After a deep sigh, I replied, "I leave what happens next to your imagination." After a pause the reader replied, "My imagination might not be as good as yours. Keep the scene going next time."

Having decided NOT to write erotica, I prefer to leave Jill and Doug's romance scenes behind a closed door. Use your imagination. They're married and in love. I'm sure that's how Goldilocks would want it. Not too little. Not too much. Just right.

Check out "The Last Rodeo" and my other Doug Fletcher books at: 

Hovey, Dean - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.com)

I hope I hit the Goldilocks spot for you.