1) Overdescribing characters deep-sixes the reader's imagination. I know we generally have a distinct vision of our characters, but we have to give readers room to develop their own mental images tailored to what works for them. Going through four paragraphs of specifics down to flecks of color in eyes tells me that the writer is bound and determined that the reader WILL ONLY THINK OF THEIR CHARACTER ONE WAY and that's pretty egotistical. Frankly unless there is a good in-story reason that hair length down to millimeters/eye shade down to hex code/skin color down to six carefully-selected words from the word-a-day calender is important it is all filler and prevents the reader from the pleasing work of fleshing out the details themselves.
2) That being said, have some interesting locations much of the time, and at least one interesting detail about the location you're in all of the time, or the reader is going to get confused and bored. I realize her job takes her mostly to police stations and strip clubs, but they are all one big blur of beige walls and grumpy cops/neon lights and misogynist lady descriptions. Either come up with more memorable descriptions or start going to more memorable places.
3) It is just fine to care about your characters. It is not fine to swaddle them in cotton wool and protect them from the world. It inhibits growth, conflict, and action, all of which are the point of writing a book in the first place. Just like you have to let your real world friends deal with the issues in their lives, you have to let your characters deal with the issues in theirs. This is what the reader is there to see, after all.
4) Learn to read your own work like a reader and not a writer. If you can't, get an editor. If you can, get an editor anyway. You're a writer, not a god- you might know what you like but you don't always know what is best for publication. If you like something the editor wants to take out, save the original in a separate file and put it away for your own use and go back to work on the editor-approved version.
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2) That being said, have some interesting locations much of the time, and at least one interesting detail about the location you're in all of the time, or the reader is going to get confused and bored. I realize her job takes her mostly to police stations and strip clubs, but they are all one big blur of beige walls and grumpy cops/neon lights and misogynist lady descriptions. Either come up with more memorable descriptions or start going to more memorable places.
3) It is just fine to care about your characters. It is not fine to swaddle them in cotton wool and protect them from the world. It inhibits growth, conflict, and action, all of which are the point of writing a book in the first place. Just like you have to let your real world friends deal with the issues in their lives, you have to let your characters deal with the issues in theirs. This is what the reader is there to see, after all.
4) Learn to read your own work like a reader and not a writer. If you can't, get an editor. If you can, get an editor anyway. You're a writer, not a god- you might know what you like but you don't always know what is best for publication. If you like something the editor wants to take out, save the original in a separate file and put it away for your own use and go back to work on the editor-approved version.