Draw snake ?? add feet ??

画蛇添足

This is Mandarin, pronounced: "huà shé tiān zú"

Literal meaning: "draw snake, add feet"

It's uttered when someone is telling a tediously long-winded story complete with a boatload of dull, unnecessary details.

e.g. Scene

You're at a picnic having a pleasant time with friends. Then the pub bore approaches and everyone scrambles to hide under the nearest blade of grass.

Pub bore: "... and it was around 8pm on Tuesday – or was it Wednesday? – and I'd just put on my shoes ready to go out for a walk with the dog, when the phone rang. So I took off my shoes again and..."

Everyone: "DUDE. Stop adding feet to your snake."

You may be wondering why I'm telling you this. After all, it is a bit random.

My reasons are twofold.

1. I started a little series of social media posts a week or so ago called Language Lessons Nobody Asked For. This was yesterday's. If you follow me on social media (links at the bottom) you'll get them.
2. It's a great lesson for writers to remember. Don't add feet to your snake!

One of the most common mistakes I see writers make when they write their books is too much information.

Too much irrelevant detail.

It's tempting to cram in everything you can think of because you don't want to miss anything out, and because you want to make sure your stories and explanations make sense.

But there is beauty in simplicity.

A well-chosen verb or adjective can make a world of difference and replace a ton of boring filler words.

A little thought about how to convey a feeling or a scenario can produce a vivid scene using little waffle.

Next time you write something – anything – read it back with a critical eye. Ask yourself these questions:

• Does it go on a bit?
• Are you repeating yourself?
• Does your reader really need to know all those details?
• Is the emotion and drama of your message coming through?

Then write it again.

Once more, with feeling.

Add emotion and remove minutiae, and you'll write words that are much more enjoyable to read.