How far do you go in describing your character's trappings, equipment, clothing, or gear?

[Britva415]

Depending on what the focus of the story is, I've autistically described firearms, melee weapons, armors, technical equipment, vehicles, mecha, etc. and even attire and hairstyles.

What doesn't come across with dialog is shoved into a condensed, visual "first-look" (the 40 second first impression) when you see something new.

How many of you also do that?

I generally only describe or explain what has a directly consequential effect in the story. And usually I don’t even do it until the moment is becomes relevant. Maybe I’ll set it up as a pre-figure or foreshadow but often not.

Call it a Chekov’s Gun fetish - though, I’m not a slave to Chekov’s Gun. I’m OK with including non-plot details for the sake of establishing setting and/or mood.

Even if there are a lot of details and they are each relevant to (necessary for) the plot, I still don’t like infodumping. Telling such details when they need to be told, and not before, is preferable (to me) to stopping the plot for a lengthy and probably unnecessarily detailed set-up for action which isn’t even happening until later.

 

[glynndah]

Some of the time I don't even give my characters names. Unless it's necessary to the plot, I try to keep the description of their gear to a minimum, because usually I get it wrong.

 

[NaughteeDragon]

Autistically described?

I read a fair amount of Military Fiction and gun guys go DEEP when talking about guns and gear. You can tell an author that is a serious shooter by how much detail they go into about the gun choices.

 

[NaughteeDragon]

I was reading (alright, if I'm honest, listening to) a very interesting book named Wired for Story (recommended by our very own @Euphony) about what we can learn from neuroscience to be better writers. One solid takeaway it mentioned was that most people can only handle so much detail all at once. I'd have to look again, but I think it essentially said that after about seven things, people's brains tend to lose track, and the reader will lose sight of what's important versus what's background.

I went downloaded this book. OMG, total level up moment. I’ve read a couple of “writing fiction” books including Burroway’s “Writing Fiction, 10th edition which is kind of the standard creative writing text book. This is the first book that’s really helped me focus on what’s important. The discussion of creating suspense is the best nuts and bolts guide I’ve ever encountered.
So last night I went back and started at looking at the novel I’m writing, and this morning I realized that I need to kill a 1500 word passage because it’s “frolicking in the daisies” as the author put it.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

I'll let the OP give his own answer, but I understood this to mean using extensive specific details. I'm no expert, but some individuals with autism demonstrate this trait regarding certain subjects.

If I recall; she's autistic, and probably took offense of the word being used as a noun.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Maybe a word substituted for obsessively?

 

[Voboy]

I read a fair amount of Military Fiction and gun guys go DEEP when talking about guns and gear. You can tell an author that is a serious shooter by how much detail they go into about the gun choices.

You can tell the opposite, too.

Every time a spy-fiction writer has a character tuck a handgun (usually something full-sized) into their waistband, often without a belt, thence to go running and leaping over things?

Yeah. No. That ain't happening. Or rather, the character is certainly running and leaping... but the handgun is on the ground, back there somewhere.

 

[NoTalentHack]

You can tell the opposite, too.

Every time a spy-fiction writer has a character tuck a handgun (usually something full-sized) into their waistband, often without a belt, thence to go running and leaping over things?

Yeah. No. That ain't happening. Or rather, the character is certainly running and leaping... but the handgun is on the ground, back there somewhere.

"Thank god for my magnetic underpants!"

 

[MrHereWriting]

How far do you go in describing your character's trappings, equipment, clothing, or gear?​

Sometimes lots, sometimes little, whatever fits the scene, mood, tone, flow, whatever...got no rules on the subject.

 

[Northstar4695]

I tend to describe clothing as it’s an element of the erotic fantasy. Clothing is as important describing the physical attributes of a sexy character for me.

 

[Audiflex]

Depending on what the focus of the story is, I've autistically described firearms, melee weapons, armors, technical equipment, vehicles, mecha, etc. and even attire and hairstyles.

What doesn't come across with dialog is shoved into a condensed, visual "first-look" (the 40 second first impression) when you see something new.

How many of you also do that?

Sounds like you put a lot of thought into the details, which can really help build immersion! If it fits the tone and pacing of your story, that level of description can be a great asset. Just gotta balance it so it doesn’t slow things down too much. Do you ever worry about over-explaining, or do you find it enhances the experience?