Depth of field in writing
Allow me to pack your pipe with an idea that might help you tighten your scenes, and possibly, rid yourself of useless characters and details.
In photography and cinematography the term “depth of field” refers to focal distance. The easiest way to understand it is to examine a portrait of someone shot outside — the face is usually sharp in focus while the background is blurry (this is “shallow focus”). An image shot with “deep focus” has everything sharp (foreground and background). By changing the depth of field, you draw a viewer into what details are most important.
Be thoughtful about how you compose your scenes and how deep the field you create. If you utilize too shallow a focus for too long, you risk sufficating the reader by leaving him inside a character’s or narrator’s head. If you leave the reader out in deep focus for too long, you may lose his interest and attention to details that may or may not be relevant to the characters involved or the overall story.
I think in either case, but maybe especially in deep focus, the temptation of overwriting looms. Just remember there’s always a balance.
