Writing What's your verdict on adding illustrations in chapters?

[McPhoenixDavid]

I have seen people adding images in their stories, which I do not mind. I would still read a book if it didn’t include these—I need the story, plot progression: not an image.

But that's just my personal opinion. What do you think?​

For instance:

[Text]
[Text]
[Illustration/image]
[Text]
[Text]​

Is it pointless? Disrupts the flow? Appealing?

 

[Eldoria]

Everyone has an opinion. But I tend to appreciate authors who include "bonus" images in chapters. This writing style adheres to light novel standards.

If you don't like the images, just close them. Let those who want to see the images enjoy them. Sometimes, we also need specific visualizations of character profiles.

 

[Cipiteca396]

I approve of it, but I also don't think it's worth the effort of commissioning/drawing that image most of the time.

 

[AliceMoonvale]

I'm personally not into it, whether it's seeing it in stories or adding them to my own.
The glossary takes care of that~

edit: It's fine when pangmida does it, in my additional, biased opinion.

 

[pangmida]

I… I do it… Sometimes I add my own drawings whenever I feel like making an illustration of a scene or character. ??

 

[L1aei]

Not for or against it, but It can place a cap on imagination when you now have a visual reference. Not for or against it, just something I believe.

 

[TheBestofSome]

I do it, though I do put the image in question into a spoiler so the people who don't care for it can skip it easily. I also provide a description in text as though there were no reference picture.

As for seeing it in other stories, I usually like seeing it, though I have already ignored a picture because I didn't like it as much as the image I had in my head.

 

[Placeholder]

> Disrupts the flow?

Always. I do like them in-between chapters on their own page. I don't like them as headers or footers.

I understand that other people have other and personal responses.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

As long as its not overused, and actually fits the story I'm all for it. Overuse it and you'd be better off making a graphic novel. Have irrelevant images and you're just wasting everyone's time and your effort.

 

[empalgepuk]

I don't mind that. I have at least one per arc.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

I don't really get the fuss about it, honestly. Aside from light novels, some Western works, like the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (and the entirety of Chronicles of Narnia) and the Silmarillon book version I have got images in the middle of chapters.

And the experience is the same, or improved, even.

 

[DireBadger]

Illustrations are for cartoons and comic books. TEXT is for engaging the reader's own imagination.

 

[Maelstrom556]

I don't think any art I've commissioned actually fits well into the writing itself. They're usually their own separate scenes or too simple/general to fit anywhere specific. If I did have something that fit, I'd totally put something in.