/lit/ - Literature

>>22195022
>>22196059
I want to add to the important point >>22196103 made about details in writing, because it is extremely useful advice. You're asking about what an average office worker's car is like because
>I know nothing about cars
>and don't drive

This is akin to something like
>What kind of guns do police officers use?
>I know nothing about guns
>and have never even touched one

In that case, you had better just write things like "the officer drew his service pistol" or "the officer fired his handgun." Maybe you could describe how it looks for various effect, like that it was "militaristic, black polymer and metal," but then leave it alone. If you write about things of which you know nothing about, you will read like a lazy moron to those who know even the rudiments of whatever it is you are describing. Conversely, recognize that your audience as a demographic is also going to know (or not know) general information by genre. The demographic that reads military fiction would probably be familiar with a "gas-operated battle rifle," while a general audience would probably be highly confused and wonder what gasoline has to do with a firearm.

So back to your question about the car--what would it mean, to you, if I wrote, "The man drove home from his office job in a white 1994 Toyota Corolla." Does that mean anything to you? Would you even bother to think about it for a second before reading the next sentence? Maybe "Toyota" stands out as being a Japanese manufacturer, maybe the fact that he drives a "white" car says something about his personality, or, most probably, "1994" stands out as being quite old. So what's important about describing the car at all? Is he poor? Is he boring? Uncreative? Dull? Low-status? Economical? Because writing something like, "The man drove home from his generic office job in his generic economy vehicle--white paint, foreign-made, manufactured five years before he was" says something about the man, but "The man drove home" is more appropriate if the car says nothing about him, and even that is pointless if you could just start with "The man allowed himself to collapse on the couch after arriving home" or something. Don't waste the reader's time with pointless details unless they say something important. Office drones, boring people, and/or people that don't give two shits about cars drive economy vehicles. Don't bother with makes, models, etc. unless the car itself is something important to the story and you're willing to do your research.

Just a thought. The more focused you are able to make your writing as you write it, the better it will be when you edit it, and the clearer themes and connections will become. Don't waste time on irrelevant details--they piss off audiences and ruin your prose.