We all hear this on every corner, "Be specific in your writing. Describe every detail." And at the same time we also hear this, "Don't over-describe. Give the reader room to breathe, to imagine." When you're just starting out as a writer, when you begin working on your first short story or novella or novel, this can be confusing. What does it mean, to describe every detail and yet not to over-describe? How exactly is this possible?

Simple.

Describe selected details, only those details that are absolutely necessary to move the story forward. Cut out everything else.

Every time I read work sent to me by beginning writers, I see the same mistake repeated over and over again. I used to do this too.

EVERY LITTLE THING IS DESCRIBED. EVERY BLOODY THING.

I'm thrilled to read Isaac Asimov for the first time (yes, I know, you're allowed to spank me), and this nagging thought that's been badgering me lately surfaced again. The economy of words. The ability to say a lot with next to nothing. The poetry of imagining that which the writer omitted, omitted for the reader to fill in. Wouldn't we all like to do that? Don't we all get chills when we read something so profound, so crisp, something said so succinctly with just a few words? I know I want to learn how to do this (especially because I tend to blab a lot), and I know you want to learn this too. Here then. Let me muse on the subject, share with you what I've learned.

The economy in words comes from a lot of rewriting.

Writing is all about detail, and isn't

Write more with fewer words