How deep do you like to make your world and characters? Do you prefer making complex story lines with many layers to them or simple stories that don't have too much going on? Do you like to write paragraphs of text describing the world, or do you prefer a single word to say it all (or let the reader project)? Do you like to write about characters that have deep and emotional lives, or simple characters that don't have too much going on? Do you prefer to write these things, or force yourself to write them?
I'm more of a short-story person, but I do like crafting atmosphere quite a lot. As far as the place itself, I communicate with what I imagine as I see it in my mind's eye. Generally, this is only what I believe is necessary for the reader - either what a place looks like, the circumstances of an encounter, or something like that. I've found that I very rarely describe people's physical appearance beyond eyes, hair, and clothing (particularly the colours used). I am a fan of letting readers create their own mental images of characters, so what I do is I like to provide a starting point, and then the reader will subconsciously fill in the gaps. I don't need to go overboard with description (like noting every quirk or oddity or blemish on somebody's face), but I don't want to get by with saying very little either - there needs to be at least some baseline. My short stories about dragons technically all take place within the same fictional universe (generally), though they're all in different parts of the globe that don't always relate to each other. Occasionally I'll throw in one allusion to another place or character, but that's pretty rare for me. I like short stories to be standalone entities when possible.
how have i not seen this thread For anyone who's gotten the honor of being close enough to me to see my darkest works, I tend to put most of my depth into the characters as most of my ideas are pretty character driven. I tend to pile tons of emotional depth on the characters to justify some of their decisions and just add a layer of depth onto the characters I choose to write. The worlds I write are purposefully simple in order to make the deep complexity of the characters pop out the most (and thats what i have to do in order to stick to canon hahah.)
I like to build both atmosphere and character. People react not only to each other but to the world in general; both equally influence the actions of any one person, especially if the person/people are the main protagonists/antagonists. I'm not saying I'm particularly good at either, but I recognize the importance of both.
I like being as descriptive as possible, especially when it comes to the character's thoughts and emotions. It's one of the few things I've been consistently criticized on in writing classes because the way I write tends to drag on at times. When making a unique world for a story, I try to be as descriptive as possible, but it's difficult to incorporate certain aspects of the world into a story without interrupting the flow of the story. As for how complicated the story itself can get, I've found that it tends to just become more complicated on its own over time. After a while, it just becomes necessary to add more, either in terms of characters, lore, or both, in order to keep the story going. Like the Death Eaters from Harry Potter weren't even mentioned until book 4, except as maybe "Voldemort's followers" but they were a pretty important aspect of the story from that point on. Elements of a story have a tendency to just compile like that.
I'm a long-story guy who focuses on only building up a character/place when they are introduced. I accomplish this by using either anecdotes or flashbacks. It's also important that you build up characters effective enough so that the reader can distinguish which characters are the main characters and which are just sub-plot characters. This is usually a priority in my writing.
I really enjoy complex stories with deeply developed characters and plot twists along the way. It's the essence of surprise that keeps me coming back to a story and wanting more from it. A good example of this is the TOME webseries by Chris Niosi. I highly recommend you check it out.
The deeper and more complex the story, the more I love it. I always find it amazing how authors can somehow tie together multiple sub plots in a way they make complete sense while also contributing to the overall plot. And complex characters make them feel more real, more human. Of course, sometimes authors get carried away with this and makes it too complicated to keep up- but overall, when a writer is able to achieve deep plots, characters, world building, etc, it keeps me interested in the story for a long time.
i love complex stories and characters!!! it's often hard to write these in fanfiction though, while keeping everything in character and fitting the world that the characters live in. i like describing setting for imagery, but i won't write many paragraphs on it. instead i'll slip them in cracks as the story progresses, so that it won't keep the story from flowing!
I love making the stories deep as I can but I tend to drag on too much that people get sick of the talking and the storyline. SO I try to shorten it up although that is sometimes easier said than done.
