Describing the Indescribable

The only issue with writing fantasy is you must write more description than you would for non-fiction. Otherwise, no one has any idea what you're talking about, and poor confused readers end up imagining the scenery all wrong.

But how does one write a compelling description, without boring their flower-and-fauna-overdosed audience? There is such a problem as too much description. Where is the dialogue? Where is the action? Where is my lunch? And my homework? And now...the reader has willingly left fairyland far behind, uncertain to ever return.

Since I'm writing a first-person novel, I often have a strong desire to make Elle (my main character) describe certain pieces of scenery as "indescribable", such as "the indescribable beauty of the forest". An obvious (and incredibly lame) excuse for not describing the indescribable. The readers want to know what is so indescribable about the forest, but their curiosity goes only so far... They don't really care about the particular shade of the tree bark.

It's all about putting a little effort into a balancing act between dialogue and description to maintain the magic and keep readers interested. And it's difficult. Description has never been a good friend. I much prefer dialogue, and funny sarcastic asides...


Novel Update: 11 chapters finished, 70 pages complete. 232 days to go!