Details

Details: The author must depict what is authentic or specific so it resonates with the reader. These details are the groundwork for a specific context and are the little truths that set a three dimensional stage for the story.

Lights by Stuart Dybek
 In summer, waiting for night, we'd pose against the afterglow on corners, watching traffic cruise through the neighborhood. Sometimes, a car would go by without its headlights on and we'd all yell, Lights!
Lights! we'd keep yelling until the beams flashed on. It was usually immediate-the driver honking back thanks, or flinching embarrassed behind the steering wheel, or gunning past, and wed see his red taillights blink on.
But there were times-who knows why?-when drunk or high, stubborn, or simply lost in that glide to somewhere else, the driver just kept driving in the dark, and all down the block we'd hear yelling from doorways and storefronts, front doors, and other corners, voices winking on like fireflies: Lights! Your lights! Hey, lights.

Afterdark by Aralia Giron
We enjoy hiding ourselves beneath the hazy afternoon sky when swirling hues of blood orange and purple line the horizon. We strip ourselves free of the thick cotton sweaters that keep our bodies warm and the heavy devices that heat our pockets. We run in the direction of the falling leaves, our direction swayed by the breath of the wind and out into the darkness that begins to permeate the perimeter of the freshly cut grass. The lights above flicker precariously as if daring us to step into the realm of shadows, we mask our faces head toward the outlines of objects that cannot be seen unless touched. We stumble into the unknown, arms outstretched in front us, laughing at our blindness. The wood chips crunch beneath our exhausted soles and the earth betrays us. We fall onto our backs, feeling pinpricks on our arms and legs as we remove our blindfolds...

What Worked:
Stuart Dybek
-This piece of prose is memorable because specific events unravel themselves through intimate details
-The images symbolize a memorable truth about the characters

Aralia Giron
-Noticing details capture the essence of the experience that act as metaphors for something larger


What Didn't Work:
Stuart Dybek&Aralia Giron
-Although our specific details set up the context of the story and connect the writer and reader, we both fail to make our audience feel like they're in the presence of our subject.