Something that is important to all writing is description. It helps to bring stories to life. It can also be quite controversial – lots of people have very strong opinions on how best to use description in fiction

The ‘show, don’t tell’ rule is probably one of the most famous ‘rules’ of writing. This is explained quite well by this quote from Anton Chekhov: “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

It’s clear from this that description in writing is something of an art; it’s about giving the reader enough details to know what is going on, but also creating a picture or an atmosphere for them to give them a sense of the story.

However, we can probably all agree that too much description is just as troublesome as not having enough of it. Without any description at all, it can be hard for us as readers to care about a story and its characters, but with too much description, the same thing can happen. Endless paragraphs of description of the scenery, for instance, can get in the way of the story, making it hard work to read – no matter how beautiful the description is.

Arguably, this is particularly true of novels in genres such as crime, where the plot is vital. Things need to keep moving on, and as helpful as description is in allowing writers to illustrate a point and anchor what they are trying to do, it can’t be at the expense of the story.

So there is a balance that we need to find in terms of description. The ‘show, don’t tell’ rule is a useful one, but we can’t get away from the fact that it sometimes simply makes more sense to tell rather than show. If we tried to ‘show’ every detail, our novels would fast become rather odd. If you want to write “the man walked across the room,” write it. There are places where carefully considered metaphors, similes, adjectives and so on work really well, and other places where they aren’t needed.

Often, description can have the most impact when it is used sparingly. After all, it never hurts to let the reader do some work; one of the best things as a reader is being able to build up a picture of something in your head – and while description is certainly an aid of that, too much of it could prevent you from coming up with your own personal interpretation.

Description is undoubtedly vital in writing, but perhaps we can say that it should, as a general rule, be there to help the story rather than for its own sake. As writers, we should always be questioning ourselves. Is our meaning clear? Do the words we have chosen evoke the right imagery? Do we really need that adjective, that flowing description, or is this not the time for it?

It’s a hard thing to get right, but it’s an important one. It’s also a fun one, and a brilliant opportunity for writers to develop their style and for readers to lose themselves in words. But what are your views on description in writing? Do you like the ‘show, don’t tell’ rule or do you use other methods in your work?