In The Details

Several years ago I read a book that contained a story line about a couple trees.  It was a very detailed story and I am going to paraphrase it.  If you recognize it, please don't place anything in comments to reveal what book it is from.  I have a lot of respect for the author who wrote it, this just happened to be one instance of something that didn't work for me.

The tree story goes something like this.  They were very large old trees that grew in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.  Some businessmen from the far east bought those trees because they wanted to restore an one of the ancient temples in their country.

The trees were harvested, and the left out in the weather for months.  There was lots of rain and the trees got wet pretty much every day.  They were very water logged by the time they were transported to a shipyard to be loaded onto a ship for transport to the Far East.

The trees were chained to the deck of the ship and away they went.  Along the way they encountered very fierce storms.  The already water logged trees were further drenched from torrential rains and waves that sent spray over the deck of the ship.

Eventually it was too much for the chains, which gave out and the trees went overboard.  They were so water logged that they actually sunk several feet below the surface before their natural buoyancy halted the descent.

Those trees floated there several feet below the surface of the ocean before the real purpose and reason for them being in the story was revealed.

There were chapters devoted to those trees.  Extraordinary details which described how those trees ended up floating under the surface of the ocean, all so they could impact the lives of the characters who encountered those trees below the surface.

For me, it was way too much detail.  I do recognize there had to be an explanation for how these huge logs ended up floating below the surface of the ocean, but to give so many details made it excruciating to read.

I try to watch the details I am including.  To remember what I wrote.  It's not an easy task at all.  I've gone back to read things I have written and had to ask myself why I added something I had added.  I will press on.  The stories can't be told unless I face the fact that I might not write perfectly.  I just make sure I give my very best.