You're a wizard, Harry!

I enjoyed that our lessons this week discussed not only descriptive writing, but also concise writing. I understand many people enjoy flowery writing with intense details documenting everything but it makes me want to rip my hair out. I come across so many books that could be great but they provide so many details I lose focus. That being said, I do believe there is a very appropriate place for descriptive detail in writing. I think it is possible to be descriptive but also concise. For my example of this, I chose a book I’m sure many of you are familiar with: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This comes from the first paragraph in chapter eight.

“October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire.”

J. K. Rowling wrote in a way that made you feel like you were there, without overbearing you with details. If she had written something like “October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the castle. The leaves had changed colors and had fallen from their trees. The frost began to move in and crystals formed on the grass.” I never would have made it through the first Harry Potter book. I think especially with fiction writing you should give your readers some credibility for creativity. Writing succinctly but also descriptively helps things flow.

Edit of the week: OH I should have counted how many times I removed the word “that” from this blog entry. After reading the lessons this week I realized how often I throw in filler words. I didn’t want to post the entire blog twice just to show my errors but my editing mistake of the week is also my biggest lesson learned: “take out the clutter!”