Description in Fiction Writing: How Much is Enough?

A talent for creating descriptive detail is a must for any fiction writer. You not only have to tell the reader what is happening to your characters, but you must be able to provide descriptions for their actions and surroundings. Description in fiction writing is complicated, however, because you also need to know how much is enough.

The fine line between providing too much description and providing too little is easy to cross either way. While you want to paint a lifelike picture for your reader, you don't want to bog them down in description of every little thing your characters see.

So how do you know when you've given enough description.

A good rule of thumb is that a scene should contain a description of no more than three of the five sense. If you're going to describe how something tastes, looks and smells, for example, you can leave out how it sounds and feels. If you are too aggressive in assaulting your reader's senses, he or she will get tired of the prose and will skip ahead to find the action.

If, however, you want to employ all five senses to give your reader a more complete picture of the scene, you should condense as much as possible. Provide as much commentary in as few words as possible and don't go on longer than a paragraph with description. You can also lessen the amount of description by providing it in small bites around action or dialogue.

Another thing you should consider when it comes to description in fiction writing is the object you are trying to describe. It is more important to describe things that seem arbitrary in nature than something that looks the same no matter who or where you are. A hotdog, for example, rarely changes shape, flavor or color; an office building, however, would look different in your mind's eye than in that of your reader.

Description in fiction writing can also be used to provide a distinction. If something ordinarily looks, smells, feels a certain way, but is different in your scene and is important to the story, you would want to spend more time on description. It's important to use description as a tool to draw your reader's attention to important objects or people.

One mistake that novice fiction writers often make with description is the overuse of cliches. It can be difficult to find a new and unique way to describe the ocean or a traffic-clogged highway, but as a fiction writer, it's your job to find that elusive description. Readers are tired of hearing about pitch-black nights, rolling ocean waves, salty sea breezes and hands that are as cold as ice.

When you're not writing, try to observe the things around you and write down particularly interesting descriptions as you see fit. For example, I was driving down the street the other night, not thinking about much at all, and I saw a streetlamp in the darkness that reminded me of a periscope. When I got home, I jotted down that association and hopefully I'll get a chance to use it.