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Description: Too Much or not Enough

How can you review the description in your drafts and know whether or not it's enough—or too much? You've ditched the adjectives, you've considered placement and organization, but you're still not sure. Now what?


Consider the mistakes Christopher Columbus made. No, not those mistakes—that's a different newsletter. I'm referring to the mistakes he made in the reports he sent back home, all based on audience.


Because Columbus was so self-convinced he'd "found" the East Indies, every plant, animal, person, and natural object he chronicled was described in light of that belief, coupled with two more factors: his particular worldview plus the financial backers his voyage was compelled to satisfy. An unholy trinity.


Don't try to impose a description that doesn't belong.


  • What are you writing, and why?

  • Who are your characters, and your audience?

  • What point of view does your piece have?

  • Is the description necessary, whether for a rich narrative or a clarity of argument?


Here's an example of a description imbalance:


Image: menu with multiple beer choices but only "wine"


I guess it doesn't matter what kind. Just wine. That's it. The end.


Take a piece of description you're not sure about, no matter the length, and isolate it from what comes before and after. Treat the passage as a personal Rorschach test.


What does the description make you think of in isolation, with no character or plot around it? Jot down adjectives, images. Sketch if you can. Review your list/sketch/notes. Does it match your intention? Does something not fit? Is there redundancy?



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