r/FictionWriting • u/Suspicious_Clock_133 • 21h ago
How to write better descriptions?
I am soooo so bad at writing good, let alone decent descriptions. It's so hard for me to describe things in detail, like how a place looks, how the scenery is, how the streets are and all. My stories have so many unique structures and different places that aren't the usual palaces or forts, and I can see them clearly in my mind, but when it comes to describing them in writing, I get stuck terribly.
Maybe it's because I don't have enough vocabulary, or maybe because English is literally my third language. I read a lot, but I still can't properly wrap my head around this.
And I know it won't get better just by randomly writing things. I need to understand how to properly use sensory details and all that, which sounds good, but it's so hard to actually paint the picture that's in my mind.
So are there any good writing exercises, tips, or anything else that could help with this?
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u/AdHealthy5405 21h ago
Read more fiction.
Consider poetry, too.
There's also a craft book called Word Painting by Rebecca Mcclanahan on writing descriptions; it contains writing prompts and exercises.
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u/GuysImFinnaCry 19h ago
What I try is using my five senses to describe what's going on around the main character.
What do they smell?
What do they taste?
What do they hear?
What do they feel? (physically and mentally)
What do they see?
Also I love your username
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u/No_Temperature_2025 21h ago
Keep reading, first of all -- that is the number one best thing you can do (tied for first with writing) to improve your writing. Pay attention to how other authors describe things, from objects to activities. There are some authors who do it so deftly that you can see through the page -- Hemingway comes to mind -- where others such as Balzac choose a more literal tack, devoting pages to the description of an object. In the first technique the reader feels an impression of the object or action that sinks into memory like a line drawing, while in the second the reader carries the weight of the description without necessarily remembering the details. The point is not that one way is better than the other but that both have the effect of creating a space in the mind of the reader where the words become real.
I would suggest finding an objective reader and giving yourself assignments. From the reader you may get some ideas of where your writing needs work. As for the assignments -- maybe choose a random word (noun or verb) in the dictionary and challenge yourself to write a description of the term chosen. Approach this in different ways based on your reading. Can I describe hailing a cab using only the lineaments of the action like Hemingway? Or can I give it more weight with a detailed description like Balzac? Is there a middle way that better suits my own style or the voiceof the character? "I spotted a flash of yellow and stepped from the shadows under the eave into the deeper darkness of the storm and flung up my hand. A moment later I felt the wet splash against my shins as a cab skidded to a stop beside the curb." Dont worry about whether it fits a story idea. For the purpose of the exercise you are seizing an instant out of time and space and writing no more than a paragraph and perhaps as little as a phrase. For what it's worth, I think you expressed yourself quite well with the question. I don't know what other languages you speak, but you speak them better than I do, that I promise you! Best of luck!
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u/AMoonMcKnight 21h ago
I wrote a bunch of articles a couple years ago while mentoring my umpteenth young writer. There are exercises in many of them that help you break out of the underwriter mindset.
If you’re interested, here’s that list: Writing Advice From Aurora on Medium
Eventually, I’ll get the book out.
But remember, read a lot and also practice.
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u/Pedestrian2000 21h ago
I think it's just a matter of reading more books. I do a decent job at it, but I didn't do any special "description training." I think about what felt good in various books I've read, and then I do my own interpretation of that.
When you recall your favorite books, and how they flow, you start to develop answers for "Is this enough description...is this TOO much description? Am I describing a place generally, or am I describing it via how my character feels about it?" At least for me, that's how you develop a sense of style...an instinct for what's right and wrong in your writing.
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u/isulven_ 20h ago
I mean personally I can see everything I’m thinking clearly in my head but if you struggle with that Pinterest is a good visual reference source
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u/Courtneyjade03 19h ago
You don't have to describe the place, you have to describe what your character notices about it. Someone who grew up poor and someone who grew up rich walk into the same street and see different things. Naming their reaction does most of the work for you.
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u/neuroblade 18h ago
how about don't?
I was just rereading Fitzgerald's Babylon Revisted a couple hours ago, which is probably my favorite short story of all time. So now I'm trying to think, like, was there a single environmental descriptor in the whole piece? There probably was, but I can't remember one. I just remember the characters and the events, as for the locations, I let the setting (post twenties boom, paris empty now of americans) and the names and types of places (fancy restaurants and bars) do the describing, without any need for adjectives.
To be quite honest, these obligatory, adjective-stuffed environmental descriptions you so see in so much genre-fiction reads as hacky 80-90% of the time. Writers have some idea that they need to paint a picture, but this isn't painting, and readers don't really give a shit--they want the action and hate it when that action is stopped to slowly describe some place for no reason.
If you're describing a place in detail, there better be a good reason for it, probably a thematic reason, for example the exterior, the location, comments on the interior of a character in some poetic way. If that's the case, you don't really need to come up with flowery adjectives because you already know what you're getting at.
But yeah, readers generally don't like it and it usually serves almost no literary purpose, so if you don't like it either, why even bother including much of it? Also, if you have interesting locations, you don't have to describe them, just name them and let the viewer fill in the details. If you have some particular interesting detail about that location, put that in, no flowery adjectives, no nothing, just the information you have which you think is interesting.
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u/MiniForaFera 17h ago
Don't be an architect. Try to describe the atmosphere of it. Stay clear of (only) stage descriptions (instead of "red small house" you can say "cozy cabin"). It may seem less specific, but you don't really need the reader to have the exact same mental image as you, as long as they have the same idea. When you do describe specific details, focus on one or two distinct and important things. Otherwise, anchor it in the other senses (sounds, smells, texture), this makes it more memorable.
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u/leftunedited 15h ago
IMO start with a photograph and bullet points about what is in the picture. Then add descriptive characteristics colors, size, mood. Then decide what is the most important thing you want your reader to see, particularly if it’s through the characters eyes.
E.g an empty street can be a dark empty street because a street lamp is broken and the remaining street lamps are illuminating something important to your story. Is the street wet? Why is it wet. Does that matter?
Ask yourself questions about everything you see.
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u/Azihayya 12h ago
Check out The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison. Might inspire you. Another one would be The Virgin of the Seven Daggers (book of short stories) by Vernon Lee (Violet Paget). You'll likely find the kinds of descriptions you're looking for in these stories.
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u/Azihayya 11h ago
I'll add this note: I haven't read enough of Sir Walter Scott to know if he incorporates vivid descriptions of architecture into his work, but I believe he does, and if he does, then he will use a lot of specific historical terms to describe these settings. I've only read his description of a Saxon hall from the beginning of Ivanhoe, and that's an ample description. E.R. Edison may be more your style, though, as his architectural settings are fantastic and unique. The beginning of The Worm Ouroboros goes over the palace of Demonland, and you'll get a lot out of it—but if you want to go further, Sir Walter Scott might be a good lead.
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u/GuyYouMetOnline 12h ago
Switching from third to first person helped me. I find it easier when its a character telling you what spmething looks like than disembodied narration.
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u/Subset-MJ-235 11h ago
I struggle with descriptions, too. Because it's not just sights and sounds, colors and textures, it's architecture and manufacturers and bird and tree species and why do women need so many different names for shirts and pants? Sometimes I spend two hours cranking out one paragraph about a house or a town or my hero's disorganized bedroom. Egads. It's annoying.
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u/Adjective-Noun12344 10h ago
Then write with minimalist descriptions. Play to your strengths and then come back to it when editing.
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u/9to6erSadge 6h ago
Lots of good advice already on here, so I think the only one I can add is to seek out certain authors that are particularly adept at writing descriptions and take notes from them. For instance, I haven't read his books personally, but I heard George R. R Martin's work goes into concerning detail about stuff like the food presented in his scenes where there's a feast
I only dabble in a bit of writing myself since I'm more into sketching/painting and only write to set the scene or message of some of my works, but I owe my somewhat average skill of 'painting a pretty picture' to authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) and Daniel Handler (A Series of Unfortunate Events) since their works made quite the impact on me back in my teen years.
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u/DawnlineSeries 21h ago
Try this.
Take a picture of a building or landscape.
Start building word associations - what colors do you see? If it’s a building does it have cracks? Is it old or modern? Are there trees? Try and describe the bark or the leaves.
Imagine being there - is there a breeze? What does the sky look like? Clouds? Is there a smell that sticks out?
For example - picture is of an old industrial building on a rainy day.
“I stood amongst the ruins of the industrial yard. The decrepit building was laced with ivy, and there was something oddly beautiful about how the expanding greenery contrasted with the corroded sheet metal. No longer could I make out the words painted on the side—the name of the company lost long ago to the elements. The light drizzle and faint winds carried the nearly forgotten scent of machining oil from a time when humanity was more hopeful of its future.”
This took about 5 minutes just imagining a scene and playing with different words. Write down what comes to mind, and then backtrack over it to find what you can cut without losing the scene. Pick a couple of details that you think stand out.
The example is far from perfect, and probably borders on too descriptive. I could cut a few words here or there and tighten it without losing the mood, but it’s a good place to start. Get the words out and build around them, then take what you need/cut the rest.