How to write descriptively - Nalo Hopkinson

The point of fiction is to cast a spell, a momentary illusion that you are living in the world of the story. But as a writer, how do you suck your readers into your stories in this way? Nalo Hopkinson shares some tips for how to use language to make your fiction really come alive.

Lesson by Nalo Hopkinson, animation by Enjoyanimation.

[miracleboi]

me: binge watching reading writing tips than actually writing

[rudraghatge]

"And tomorrow i will start writing" me every single day

[ileiad]

"Billy has five fingers for each hand, making them a total of ten fingers."
This is the peak of writing.

[abdulteen]

billie's palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy...

[yogawarriorgirl]

The level of detail in this animation was astounding...

[ericm]

the important thing is letting your readers reach the conclusions. subtlety is key. when a reader comes to their own interpretations, they make more neural connections and have a better time.

[mintyglitches]

i feel that the only time such extreme detail is needed is when the character themselves are actually taking in the details themselves.
if things are happening quickly, like someone running from a creature, it shouldnt be too detailed and should instead match the speed that theyre running.
but if a character is suddenly realising that theyre in love with their best friend and cant help but admire how their hair flows in the wind and the slight sparkle in their eye that only comes out when the weathers nice, then a long detailed moment makes sense because the character is noticing all these things themselves and has the time to linger mentally on those details

[jamssy]

Remember, amazing writers! Don't be too descriptive as the readers might get distracted from the plot/story and some might have to reread the paragraph over and over again because the words are too deep/hard to understand.

It is important to first determine the themw of what you're writing. Is the story light? Choose words that feel free and light.
Example: A light story

The breeze meandered against her porcelein skin, sending cold yet sweet chills down to her spine. Her golden hair danced gracefully as she yelled, "I'm the king of the world!" with her arms up high and her ocean eyes gleaming.

Even if words are well, just words, they still have the power to activate the reader's five senses; smell, touch, sight, hearing, taste.

[adventureawaits]

Writers don't write to impress, They try to express.

[urorazbojnik]

"suddenly they're on a beach about to fall in love" umm no, they're on google trying to figure out what color is stewed-cherry lmao

[trevorfielding]

The more I learn about writing and storytelling, the more I realize that storytelling is not actually telling a story, but creating a half-finished mural and giving the reader the paint they need to finish it themselves. With just enough direction that the reader doesn't get lost.

Didn't realize this applied to descriptions as well, that's awesome. "Meeting the writer halfway"

Summary:
Strong descriptors of all the senses + movement, then use strange connotations to carry them to the reader.

[decimojj]

This is why i love being a writer and why i love to write stories, while writing a story, creating a fictional world, you yourseld dive into that world, and you feel that you have to make the audience experience the wonderful world you have created, atleast that's what i feel.

[Zosalot]

Billie needs to take an anti-acid pill. She was sick this whole video. :(

[_pg_]

The noodle description of billie was too complicated. That was no way supposed to mean that she was nauseous. Being descriptive doesn't mean being complicated. Writers, please remember to be lucid as well.

[Themoment]

The thing about this is you have to have a mix of loads of description and simple language. Sometimes, just being straight forward is better than being too flowery. If you really want to develop your writing, read good literature. I was trapped in a wattpad reading spree and realized my writing wasn't improving then I realized yeah cause I'm reading bad writing. Then, I got back to reading series and novels and took note of how they wrote. Plus, have friends read your work for feedback too. If you can join writing groups, do it.

[Nazareadain]

Her legs were noodles. She began to question her half culinary existence when she realized her hair was poison needles. Her focus quickly turned to figuring out how to best avoid death by her body's own terrible design.
"I look like an 5 year old's interpretation of Medusa." the words brushed across her bristle-sponge tongue.
_I'd cry if my eyes weren't bags of bleach_ her existential crisis seeming equally comical and tragic in its absurdity.
P.S. Funny coming back here years later because youtube recommendation's still being worried about my ability to write, only to find people taking my joke seriously. I think they've confused me with someone who wants their opinion - or maybe it was meant for you; enjoy being showered with wisdom, and remember that millions of years of evolution lead up to this point.

[TY-dffg]

I felt like the sentence that said Billie felt nauseated and weak could be a lead in to the first example.

[timmeyer]

Honestly, I started to roll my eyes at poisoned tip hair and bags of bleach. You can go a bit over the top with description and metaphors.

[MellowJelly]

I had no idea what they were trying to say about Billie because they were using absolutely random language. There's no way to know that was supposed to mean she felt nauseous lol

[jimmycharles]

Wrong!
You need a Pegasus feather quill pen, dipped in the blood of fairies and you must write upon the robes of the gods themselves.