KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE IN DETAILS TYPES OF DETAILS

KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE IN DETAILS

TYPES OF DETAILS Golden Useful Not-so-good

NOT-SO-GOOD DETAILS Clunky – These descriptions are strange and hard to picture; they disrupt the flow of the story: His legs looked like square-cut carrots. Her dog smelled like a cross between burnt taco meat and expired aerosol-can spray. The water smashed into a zillion pieces. Clichés – A common thought or idea that has lost originality through popular use. Can you think of some clichés you know?

Clichés – A common thought or idea that has lost originality through popular use. Dead as a doornail. She looked like she had seen a ghost. His hands were clammy. He was strong as an ox. She ate like a bird. Give an arm and a leg. All is fair in love and war. Axe to grind. On the edge of her seat. He peed himself laughing. Knock your lights out.

WHY MIGHT YOU WANT TO AVOID CLICHÉS?

USEFUL DETAILS Descriptions that are plain but needed. Not every description can be golden! �His hair was orange. �Her face was long and oval. �The sound was terrifying. �His hand was swollen. �Her skin was ashen.

GOLDEN DETAILS A detail, description, and/or analogy that is completely original and makes one’s subject unforgettable. � She tapped her fingernail rhythmically on her large teeth as she watched her husband count the change in his man-purse. In one sentence, we’ve learned so much about these two people! � He has a man-purse � He’s meticulous � She’s tired of him � She has large teeth

GOLDEN DETAILS Golden details can come about even while using plain words: � Their young daughter’s eyes were grey and cold, exhausted. What do we learn from the golden description above?

WHAT DO THESE GOLDEN DETAILS TELL US? He wore a beret, though he’d never been to Paris, and he walked like a dancer, as if hoping someone would notice that he walked like a dancer.