: Re: How to describe a scene from imagination? I'm writing my very first short story. a romantic fantasy, and sometimes when I try to describe the actions of characters, their body movements and

@Sarah872

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In many ways, this is just the basic work of writing, and every writer will handle it differently. However, in general, details are more vivid when they are emotionally charged. In other words, try to see it through your character's eyes, even if you have a third-person narrator.

Descriptions can also play double or even triple duty, giving the reader all kinds of clues about mood, symbolism and history. Compare "her skin was brown," with "her skin was the same rich brown color as the fertile, newly turned-over earth on her father's farm in rural Georgia." The first is just a flat description, the second tells you a bit of her past, hints at her socioeconomic level, foreshadows a possible pregnancy, gives you a sense of the observer's attitude, and so forth.

Of course this kind of thing can easily be overdone. But again, that's the core work of writing --finding the balance. If you just need to convey the info, you can do it simply and directly, and it will fade into the background for the reader. If you elaborate it, on the other hand, it should serve a function to advance the story, the understanding of the characters, or the overall mood. Remember, the writing should always be in service of the reader's experience, and never the other way around.

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