So I haven't seen much of this, but when I did, I got a better mental image of what the person was describing. I honestly think that this is a good idea. What about all of you?

I often think about adding illustration but some drawings can take longer than others. I find I will lose a story if I get carried away with the drawing.

But yes I do agree. Picture's worth a thousand words.

As long as you don't saturate the fic with them, then yeah. Honestly, they're nice, but the reader's ability to imagine the scene themselves is way more important. Showing off the stuff your fans or you yourself make is still nice though

854027 I think they can work so long as they don't take away from the story.

854027

I'm tentatively planning on illustrating an upcoming novella/short novel-length fic with watercolor paintings for each chapter. I asked in one of my blogs to my followers if they find that sort of thing a nice addition to a story, a silly novelty, or distracting. the general consensus is that it's a bit of a novelty, but not a bad one, unless the illustrations appear within the body of text. If it's to be done, stick to right at the start or right at the end of a chapter and leave the text as a whole.

854027 Personally, I don't like pictures in stories. I mean, pictures are awesome, but when it comes to a story, a written work, anything like that, I just think that a picture would be too distracting.

Have an awesome piece of cover art, sure. But leave it at that. Stories are for reading, and let's be honest, a picture just gives you something on a plate. It just never seems as magical as when you read an awesome piece of text that causes you to feel a thousand emotions and see a thousand things. (I know, over-dramatized comment...)

That's my opinion.

I'm a fan of what J.K Rowling does, putting a picture at the beginning of each chapter. If I had any artistic skill I would do that in my own stories.

If it was at the beginning of each chapter, I could see it work. Putting them smack in the middle of the text really breaks my immersion.

854027>>854076>>854091
I agree in fact I'm looking for the same for my story but I believe in putting them at the end.

854027
I think they're best for showing objects in the story rather than actual scenes themselves.

854027

I do believe that adding pictures could be a good thing. As it goes "A picture is worth more than a thousand words". However, it could also very much ruin the readers own imagination, putting something that the reader had interpreted in one way into something completely different.

Though I guess I'd like seeing more pictures in stories. If the writer has put thoughts behind the pictures, there's a good chance the pictures would boost the readers experience rather than worsen it.

Equestria Daily turned down one of my fics, citing in-line images as one of the reasons. (It was not the only reason, mind you, just one of a couple.)

Mind you, they are picky beyond being reasonable, but according to the person who pre-read the fic, he said they tend to distract the reader from the story. It's like having a speed bump.

I personally do not find them to be bad. I do wish Fimfiction had a way to, say, align a pic on the left, and have text continue on the right, sort of wrapped around the image. That would be much less intrusive.

So yeah, I got no prob with them as long as they are not too overdone.

Pictures limit imagination.

854027

If the author just says "The room looked like this: <link>" then it's stupid. Otherwise, maybe.

I have one in my story, Snowblind, just because the image I commissioned for it (which is also used as the cover image) happened to match with the scene I was writing at the time. I think it's nice to see illustrations here and there, like a little present in the story, just because it's so rare.

Thinking myself a decent artist; I did my own cover page. I would love to put in one, or two illustrations per chapter of my story. Something that catches the mood of an important scene, or epic battle frames.

Just a lot of time can go into a good drawing, and sometimes I feel that is time that should probably be spent writing, editing and fleshing out the story as a whole.

One or two pictures per chapter is like giving out free candy to readers. More people should use pictures.

I'm an illustrator, so that's what I do with mine, both in terms of cover and interior scenes. Partly just for my own enjoyment, especially in lots of different styles.

I think pictures are something that can go nicely in an Appendix, for world-building and such, but at the end of the day, it is the language of the author that should describe the scene to the reader's satisfaction.

A properly done image can be very powerful in transmitting a particular emotion, but language is a superb medium for such sentiment as well.