Tavia Chalcraft wrote:
Someone (Neil?) raised the question of description in fanfic. Do people prefer people and backgrounds to be described, and in how much detail?
How
overt does this have to be before it gets annoying? Does anyone have any useful hints?
I agree with Mistral that it varies widely by reader. I think it's an larger issue in fanfic because some of us may assume that the reader is familiar enough with the show that background detail is unnecessary. We don't need to introduce the characters, the ships, the environment, etc. The readers know what the characters look like, how each generally behaves, etc.
Personally, I think the test for sufficient description of people or background is whether or not that description is necessary for the story. Does it enhance the reader's understanding of the plot or the character interaction? Does the environment affect the outcome or even the state of mind of the characters? Does it say something that X is wearing red instead of black, etc.
Morrigan "Auron may be different, Cally, but on Earth it is considered ill-mannered to kill your friends while committing suicide."