Hey-o, Word-wielders,

For me, reading (or listening) to a book is like watching a movie inside my head. I see anything from the seaside town in Riel Nason's Waiting Under Water to Mr. Lemoncello's cool library, from a young man and woman travelling canals by night to Maya from Paint the Wind lying in pain after an earthquake.

You know what makes it possible to see these things? A brain.

But that's not what I mean. It's description that helps translate your imagination into words and back again in the mind of your reader. It's how you paint a picture with your story.

Yes, some books these days have a lot less description than others, and they can work too. But description is important, and here's some tips on how to write it.

1. Don't info dump

If you've done your writing homework, you've probably read this before. Info dumping a lot of description may bore your reader. Avoid unnecessary details, and spread the ones you need to add throughout your narrative, rather than all at once.

Here's an example of info dumping:

Night brushed over us, indigo and warm, velvety and beautiful. The air smelled of nothing but the hint of cinnamon. 

Beyond my sight I knew there were trees for miles upon miles, deer and bears and all the Gilly birds a forest could want. Rivers snaked every which way in the Lowlands, and moss hid in every crevice, speckled here, springy there.

And here's the example I took from, from my currant draft of My Only Name is Honor.

Night brushed over us, indigo and warm. Brig retired early, and Amaury, in high spirits after his scouting trip, decided to sail deep into the night.
I had no desire to sleep. The promise of summer flickered with the fireflies, calling me to drink it in. I stood at the bow of the Aveline, inhaling the faint cinnamon of the Lowlands.
The Lowlands. We were nearly to the Drain now, tomorrow, according to Amaury. Leaving my final link to my home, my life, my family.

The second example cuts much of the descriptive details, but focuses more on the protagonist and story.

2. Borrow from the poets

If you want to make descriptions that sound like they're from the pen of a poet . . . write them like a poet. Now I know this is a stylistic choice, and some of you reading this may be tempted to make many disgusting sounds over this tip, but this is how I write, so this is an option I'm putting out there.

I digress.

Some ways to make your descriptions more poetic are to use poetic devices: alliteration, assonance, etc.  For example: liquid light, shining guide, etc. These can add a poetic grace to your prose, but be careful. This is prose you're writing, and if you use to many poetic devices you may start to sound like you're writing poetry.

(If you want to read a beautifully written book try All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes. A review of one of her books said her writing was "infused with magic and poetry.")

3. Write details that matter

Don't waste your reader's time with unnecessary details on the china your protagonist is eating off of—unless they want to sell it and are calculating its worth with every bite. Don't bother describing how beautiful the flower garden is as a child is tearing through being chased by a viscous dog. 

Write descriptions that matter. If it matters to your character, it's more likely to matter to your reader. As your hero lies wounded and preparing to die, they may notice tiny details on their best friend's face they never would've before. A woman distracting herself from tears may study a wall with intense focus. Find what matters to your character, and springboard off from there. There may be times when you can't do that, but write the details and description that matter, that reflect what your characters are thinking and feeling. For example, check out this section from my book Daughters of Irin. (Context: Princess Quarralia is being taken to see King Byron, her captor. She is currently in his castle: Endenry.)

The walls were pale, blue wallpaper swirled with navy, and paintings of Farrian kings glowered down from their frames. King Byron was among them, wearing the expression of one who had just drank sour milk.

This is not a favorable impression.

Was this helpful? What are your tips for description? Let me know down in the comments.

May you live for Christ and give Him praise!

~Claira