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Molly Templeton's avatar

I've never thought of myself as much for minimalism, but as a reader, I am so, so burnt out on overuse of stage directions and excessive details - especially when they start repeating and so the author reaches for new ways to say things, and they're awkward or unnatural and thus distracting. (No one consciously draws their brows together! We just frown!) It starts to feel like the author wants to micromanage the reader's experience, and so makes it hard for the reader to feel there's much space left for them.

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Leah Libresco Sargeant's avatar

I think the "brows snapped together" kind of works the same way as gunshot sound effects in movies (which don't sound like real gunshots). We know what they _mean_ in reality, even though they don't mirror reality.

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Kate McKean's avatar

YES! I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE! Like, I never need to know anything about *how* someone ate something, unless that's the whole point. Like, I don't every munch anything. NEVER! I just eat things!

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Molly Templeton's avatar

JUST LET CHARACTERS EAT THINGS!!! Unless they are eating like Denethor in the Lord of the Rings movies, then I probably need to know about it and be horrified

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Kate McKean's avatar

Exactly!!!!!!!!!

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