Whether it’s your character or your setting, most readers don’t appreciate being inundated with paragraphs of exhaustive details and descriptions. The purpose of description and its specific details is to immerse readers in your world, allowing them to experience what your protagonist experiences.

The When:

In past decades, writers began each scene with at least 2-3 lines of description. Sometimes it amounted to a paragraph. Today, the writing advice is to begin each scene with action. It doesn’t need to involve a fight or shootout. The advice is to put your characters in motion and connect their goals and activities during the scene with the setting.

It’s easy to hear the infamous words “show don’t tell” in this instance. The goal is to show your character interacting with their world. Doing this will engage your readers, keep the pacing going, and bring the setting alive.

So when do you use a description? Use description as the scene calls for it, as your characters interact with each other and their world.

Engage all senses for a vivid experience.