How Much Description?

How much description should you include in your story? Should you wax on about the vibrant colors of the setting sun or merely mention that it was setting?

Tastes range from pages of eloquent prose to terse one-liners that get the point across. In the past, when readers had more time to savour words and the turn of a phrase--and were not bombarded with visuals 24 hours a day--long descriptive narrative was a treat. A writer's unique perspective added color and richness about places and settings most readers would never see.

But in these fast-paced times, filled with high-tech, color-enhancing, photo-shopped reality, most readers will skip your eloquent phrases and get on to the story.

The trick is to use as few words as possible to convey the biggest picture. Comparisons are excellent and in a single phrase can convey a world of meaning. For example, rather than describe the burly professor down to his shoe size, a phrase such as "He was a grizzly bear in a red bow tie" paints an instant picture of not only the man's physical appearance, but hints at his disposition as well.

Your goal as a writer is not to commandeer as many words as you can, but rather to make every word count. Whack at your sentences and scenes without mercy, eliminating unnecessary words--regardless of how pretty they sound when you read them to yourself!

Your future readers will thank you--and they might keep coming back for more.