The details that make writing special.

The minutiae of our writing.  What are they?

Minutiae: (noun) the small, precise details of something.

 

Details are important, and when writing, they are key to  making your readers believe, feel, and gasp in awe.

When I say details, here, I don't mean describing things to no end, but rather knowing the right terms for the right scene and atmosphere.

How exactly? Let's take a look.

 

Read the two versions of the same passage below.

 1. We stopped the truck at the open area nearby when we arrived: we would have to go the rest of the way on foot. The forest was packed, filled to the brim with tall trunks of different types of trees. The scene put me on edge, and the only thing that calmed me were the birds singing overhead.

2. We stopped the truck at the glade nearby when we arrived: we would have to go the rest of the way on foot. The forest was a dense thicket, filled to the brim with tall trunks of cedar, maple, and oak. The scene put me on edge, and the only thing that calmed me were the canaries and starlings singing overhead.

 

While both passages tell the same story - entering a dense forest with a bit of apprehension - one is clearer, more believable, and more professional.

You probably guessed it's passage 2. Why? It uses specific terms related to woodlands and forests: glade, thicket, cedar, canaries, and such.

 

While extremely specific terms that only a forester or nature biologist would know are rather dull and useless, more generic yet specific terms make your writing glow a tiny bit more!

 

 

• With simple, yet specific, terms: you can turn a reader's mental image from the picture above, to the picture below!