When less is more

[John Dean]

As the years have progressed, my writing has become more spare, less adjectives, more story.

I have learned the need for this approach from various sources; skilled editors at my publishers, reading good fiction (and bad, you can learn a lot from bad writing) and through my teaching which helps me examine the mechanics of the craft.

This thought comes to mind because I am about to start teaching a course on the subject and it reminded me of a short story competition entry I once read.

The theme was horrific, a murder, yet the writing was understated, matter-of-fact and all the better for it because such an approach can be chilling.

Yes, there is a place for a well-turned adjective, yes, they add colour, but sometimes the story just needs telling and the reader will see through attempts to over-egg it with colourful descriptions and ample exclamation marks.