When descriptions fail. And they do, all the time. · 3:40pm Aug 24th, 2013
The sky was a beautiful azure blue, and the clouds were as smooth and round as a mare’s buttocks.
Writing descriptions isn't easy. And it isn't easy because getting the right similes and metaphors isn't easy. Ever had the problem where you wrote something so awesome that even Shakespeare would rise from the dead to congratulate you, only to realise that it's utter crap a minute later? Ohh, burn in that disappointment. Burn!
Anyway, how do you know if what you are describing in words sounds like what you're thinking of in your head? It's impossible to have both the perspective of the reader and the writer at the same time, so you've got to get someone else to point it out to you. Then in that case, how do the good and famous writers get around this? Through experience, maybe.
I thought about this a little while doing a review on this story.
What are some of the failed descriptions you have come across?
That's actually a tough one. I've always guessed writing is similar to art in the way that both artist and writers have their own styles. Of course, some writing styles work better than others.
I'd imagine that some writing styles "connect" with some readers more than others as well. Creative vision can be a real pain sometimes can't it?
But Simile and metaphor are far from the best way to describe something.