Many writers dread writing descriptions. It’s difficult to know what to include, and it requires a lot of mental energy to summon interesting details from one’s imagination. Description can involve the setting, an object, a character, actions, and even internal thoughts. It might entail an artfully placed sentence dancing between dialogue; a paragraph that grounds the reader in the scene; or pages of prose that sink deep into a particular subject.

Here, I share five guiding principles for describing a scene, along with five additional advanced strategies with in-depth examples.

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TL;DR PRESS
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Anthologies: [ Ссылка ]

SARAH L. HAWTHORN
Short Story – “A Doe in Crown Land” in QUEER BLADES: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]

JOE BUTLER
Novels – OF ALL POSSIBILITIES and STRANGE DAYS IN THE HOUSE OF AUGUST: [ Ссылка ]
Short Story – “A Small Life” in BANDIT FICTION: [ Ссылка ]
Website: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]

MIA V. MOSS
Novella – MAI TAIS FOR THE LOST: [ Ссылка ]
Short Story – “The Radiant Web” in STARSHIPSOFA: [ Ссылка ]
Website: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]

ALEX LAUREL LANZ
Short Story – “Every Little Hair on Your Head” in SCARE STREET: [ Ссылка ]
Short Story – “The Only Way Out Is Through” in TALES TO TERRIFY: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]

LYLE ENRIGHT
Short Story — “Bargaining” in SHORT EDITION:
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Short Story — “Road Rage” in SPECULATIVE CITY:
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Substack: [ Ссылка ]
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

“Description: Narrative Lensing” by David F. Shultz: [ Ссылка ]

“On Writing: Great Character Descriptions!” by Hello Future Me:
[ Ссылка ]

“Exile” by Carolyn Forché (poem): [ Ссылка ]

MAI TAIS FOR THE LOST excerpt narration by Simone Stivi: [ Ссылка ]

"Every Little Hair on Your Head" excerpt narration by Liz Petersen:
[ Ссылка ]

Opening Animation by Vitor A. Dupont: [ Ссылка ]

Title and End Music: “Clockwork” by Vindsvept – [ Ссылка ]

Background Music by Vindsvept:
+ “Keeper of the Forest”
+ “The Journey Home”
+ “Leaving the Dream”
+ “Alone”
+ “Skymning”
+ “Lycanthropy”
+ “Light the Bonfire”
+ “Deliverance”
+ “Wildfire, part two”
+ “Spirit of the Wind”
+ “The Forgotten Forest”
+ “Chasing Shadows”

Defining Descriptive Writing (0:00)
1. Focus on Details Specific to the Point of View (1:04)
2. Include the Senses (2:30)
3. Favor Strong Verbs and Adjectives (4:10)
4. Move the Narrative Forward (6:41)
5. Don’t Describe Everything (8:50)
6. Add a Character-Based Layer (10:13)
7. Imagine the Scene from a Fixed Point (14:52)
8. Decide How You Want the Scene to Feel (18:46)
9. Pair Descriptions with Actions (24:13)
10. Connect Similes and Metaphors to the Story World (28:42)
Descriptive Writing Exercise (32:41)

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