Regardless of what genre you are writing or how long the manuscript may be, the text body is an essential part of the work because it contains the relevant information to the story that will make or break your written work.

When introducing a new character into a story, it is a really good idea to explain the information that is relevant to why the person is there at the time, where they are from and how they connect to the plot. The entire history of the character does not have to be placed right at the introduction point if there is a need to hold back for a ‘big reveal’ later, but there should at least be enough information for the reader to understand the purpose of the character at that point in the story. The same thing applies to the introduction of a place or specific item that is important to the story.

It is obvious that adding a lengthy description that is pointless to a story can definitely turn a reader away; however, leaving too much left unexplained can confuse the reader, making them wonder if there was any point to a character, location or object being in the story. Some writers are wary of adding descriptions because they think that doing so will make the story too long and possibly boring, but this is not exactly true. Adding a good amount of information allows the reader to develop a ‘relationship’ with the characters, locations and objects which will make the story more interesting and understandable.

Character information is fairly easy to add to the text body either before or directly after introducing them into the story. Another good way to enable a reader to connect with a character and form a ‘relationship’ with them is by allowing the character to tell their own story through their direct conversations with other characters. Either one of these techniques can be done upon introduction or through a ‘big reveal’ somewhere in the story that makes the character more interesting.

Introducing a location can be just as important to a story as introducing a character, especially in a story with a plot that thickens due to a specific location. Whether the town, country, continent or planet is fictional or not, explaining the important details of the terrain, weather, seismic activity etc. can make all the difference between a story that is understood and enjoyed or tossed aside because the reader does not get what the author is trying to say.

For example: if an author is writing a story (fictional or non-fictional) about California and states in the text that buildings fell and streets cracked, it could confuse the reader if the author does not point out the high risk of seismic activity along the fault lines on the west coast of America. Although for quite a lot of people, seismic activity in California is pretty much common knowledge, that does not necessarily mean that everyone knows this. Therefore, when writing about such things, it is a good idea to explain the details of the location that are important to your story.

An objective or mission in a story also requires explanation. Writing that a certain character must go to a certain place practically requires an explanation of why that character was chosen and why that specific mission or objective matters in the story.

Some objects are just as important to a story as the characters and their missions and locations. For example: The Blackstone Chronicles by John Saul is a thriller that revolves around devastation caused by objects at ‘The Asylum’ that belonged to specific characters and are returned to their families to wreak havoc. If not for the detailed explanations of the past and present of the characters, their families and their encounters with the specific objects, the story would not have been as interesting, entertaining nor as understandable.

The point is that details make a story what it is. If the information is lacking, the story will be lacking; if the information is descriptive, informative and interesting then it holds true that the story will be too. Good details do not diminish a story; they lay the foundation for building a strong plot and keep the reader interested.