Hi Elanor!
Quote: Ok, so I'm writing a historical novel and I recently sent a draft (first seven chapters) to a friend, which she proof read for me and gave me some good tips to work on. However, she said she felt I should put more descriptions of furniture, costumes etc. in the book but I worry that that will make it harder to read and uninteresting. I'm not trying to model myself on him but C. J Sansom whose books I love, doesn't put too much description in which I feel makes his books easier to read and keeps your attention focused on the matter in hand, rather than going on a walk through describing the furniture etc. in lots of detail; I have included some. I'd love any thoughts on this, I want to make it historically interesting but not boring, so I'm struggling with this.
I struggle with this one too! *Groans* But I don't think the key is lots of description, it's description subtly placed. Take this example from a writing book I've got, its got dozens of examples, but I've included the shortest for the sake of brevity.
'Smothering' description:
Quote: Kathy Morris was a very short girl. She ha black hair. It was dampt because the day was so hot. The sun shone with fierce heat. Kathy bruthe her hair out of her eyes an stood on tiptoe to read the thermometer. The mercury stood at 102 degrees. "One hundred two degrees in the shade," Kathy whispered. She had brown eyes and they were worried now as she looked out over acres an acres of wheat fields. She lived on a what farm in Kansas.
'Saturating' description:
Quote: Kathy Morris brushed the damp black hair out of her eyes as she stood on tiptoe to read the thermometre. "One hundred and two in the shae," she whispered, as she turned worried brown eyes out over the wheat fields.
You see how the second is descriptive, but it slips in description about the action? A historical book that uses this technique the best is Elizabeth George Speare's 'The Bronze Bow'. You can SEE things, but you don't notice her description, and yet there's so much of it! Often I feel that Henty overdoes his descriptive work.  .
Quote: I have all my main plot sorted out and have typed just under half of what I have written on the computer, however at present it's at @ 16,000 words (only the typed out writing not the rest) so I'm starting to worry it's not going to be long enough. I know I can look at it as just the first draft/bones and I can go through it and change it/add to it etc. but as it's worrying me a lot I've decided to try and include a sub plot. Most people are suggesting I include a love story as a sub plot, however I'm thinking back then with Nobles, Lords etc most of the marriages were arranged so I feel that won't work, unless I go into a different part (the streets, the poor etc) away from my main story line, and create a sub plot that doesn't attain to the story in any way. However I'd rather not have to do that. Other than creating a love story sub plot I'm lacking inspiration as to what the sub plot can be.
I find that subplots develop themselves, Elanor. When I start a novel, I generally don't have any. When I finish the eighth re-write, I have more than I can handle... and most occur only in the re-write before. In my experience, a story grows. I can't force anything on it. As I grow to know my characters better, as I dream over them and read over what I've got, rewrite bits and rewrite again, I find bits of background accumulating in my mind, adding richness to the story, 'layering' the story with thousands of 'whys' and 'why-nots' and 'wherefores'. Things that just seem to 'belong'... as if they were just waiting for me to discover them. One thing you can try is ask of each main character 'What do you want most?' and then ask yourself 'How can I say no?' This creates heaps of conflict, and often thats where a subplot starts. I generally don't worry about subplots, though, until I've rewritten the novel a few times, and I know more about the characters. And I'm generally wary of forcing things on a story. You will write differently, of course, but I hope this helps just a bit.
I often feel 'lost', Elanor! My guess is that writers are the only people who feel truly lost when they're writing!
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