I hit 500 words on a single character description and it felt wrong

I was working on a fantasy story and got really into describing this old wizard, like every wrinkle and robe stitch, and my word count hit 500 just for him standing in a room. I mean, maybe it's just me but I realized I was building a statue instead of a person, you know? How do you know when you've crossed from good detail into just filling pages?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sandra20d ago

Building a statue instead of a person" is such a perfect way to put it. Been there, for sure. When do you stop describing the robe and start writing the story?

matthewsullivan19d ago

I used to love that stuff but now I just ask what the detail does for the scene.

zara4471d ago

Building a statue instead of a person - but sometimes the statue is what makes the story come alive. All those robe details can tell you who the person is, without ever saying it outright.