Have y’all seen the letter from a fourth grader named Flint to Mr. Ramon? You should. This letter makes me smile so much.
"Dear Mr. Ramon,Text source from here.
Thank you for coming to our school and teaching us about weather.
Some day when I become supreme Ultra-Lord of the universe I will not make you a slave, you will live in my 200 story castle where unicorn servants will feed you doughnuts off their horns.
I will personally make you a throne that is half platnum and half solid gold and jewel encrested.
Thank you again for teaching us about meteoroligy, you’re more awesome than a monkey wearing a tuxedo made out bacon riding a cyborg unicorn with a lightsaber for the horn on the tip of a space shuttle closing in on Mars while ingulfed in flames … And in case you didn’t know, that’s pretty dang sweet.
Sincerely, Flint.
P.S. Look on back for drawing."
Come on. You smiled while you read that, didn’t you? I don’t even need to see the picture to visualize the unicorn, monkeys and tuxedo. Flint is that good, but here is the picture anyways.
Details can be a balancing act. Details can create a clear mental image. Too many can create boredom. I read this one book, and I could not finish it because I felt like it was 99% sensory details. I don’t need to read every single adjective that applies to the object/ person/ setting/ etc. I just need to know enough to visualize it. Your readers will fill in the rest.
Flint gave us enough details to visualize everything without smothering us in detail. I love this letter for more than the use of sensory details. I love this letter because it was a real big reminder to me how we all should use sensory details to take our writing to the next level. They aren't just for old authors from the 1800s who used pretty words. They are for every writer to utilize.
Are sensory details difficult for you? How much is too much? How much is too little? Doesn't this letter make you smile?
In case any of y’all are wondering, my writing break has been amazing for me. I still cry, but mainly for how well everything is coming around again. I really figured out how to make my love interest offer the kind of relationship that I hope all my readers will find in their own lives (though the guys in their real life still might not compare). I can’t really explain him. He’s not perfect or anything. He’s just him which is exactly the way I need to write him. I’m currently grinning like an idiot because of how happy I am to finally get that puzzle piece to fit. Plus all my other characters’ puzzle pieces are fitting together nicely. My MC is also shaping up. She’s difficult to write since she is all sweet and honest while I’ve been told I can be too sarcastic. The plot is shaping up better. I am getting “rid” of a lot of writing, but I’m not too hurt. I won’t finish by July liked I hoped, but I’m not giving up. I’ve started outlining. Afterwards, I’m gonna go back to chapter one and write it the way the story needs to be told. Wish me luck. I know I’m gonna need it. If any of y’all are at a stop sign in your writing, I definitely suggest taking a short break. Right after I decided to take a break, the ideas started to generate again. It doesn’t have to be a long break (maybe just a day if you really need to get back to writing), but a break could be just what you need. It was what I needed.
