Writers out there, what is the best way to describe scenery without boring readers with too many details?
Obviously some description of scenery is helpful in allowing readers to get a feel for the characters’ surroundings, but how can I avoid getting carried away?
Top 3 Answers
Favorite Answer
One paragraph. Then if you feel the need to further describe, insert little notes into the dialogue.
“It’s awfully chilly,” Steve commented, noting the dark sky and the breeze that had just picked up.
Sarah looked over the hill that was covered in daisies. “It looks like it’s going to storm.”
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Pick out the details that the characters in the story would notice. For example, if one of the characters is a musician, include a description of that character hearing the sound of birds singing, or leaves rustling, et cetera. Not in every scene, of course- only when it would add interest. Don’t forget to consider all the senses (touch, sight, hearing, taste, smell . . ) when describing a scene, and pick and choose the ones with the most relevance to the situation.
4
If you haven’t already, I would recommend you read THE DEERSLAYER by James Fennimore Cooper. First, it is a fabulous book. But, more to the point, Cooper gives exquisite details describing the breathtaking scenery. He does such a masterful job, it is not boring or overdone. Otherwise, I agree that sneaking in bits and pieces describing the surroundings of your story can be accomplished by referring to things in your characters’ dialog as well as by explaining what the characters’ are seeing as they speak. For example,
“Wow…”, whispered Sarah reverently soaking in the magnificent horizon before her as she stood upon a craggy precipice high above the rock strewn ocean shore that roared powerfully sending a salty mist to scent and chill the morning air , “…the reds, …the golds, …the blues …sure make anything a man can create impoverished substitutes for the glories of a simple sunrise.”
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