How to Fashion Vivid Descriptions

Vivid descriptions are the spice of life for fiction enthusiasts. They are the “bread and butter” for Fantasy, SciFantasy, Sci-Fi, and Dystopian authors, and many others. They are sprinkled through manuscripts, engage the senses, and are certainly not limited to only the visual. 

From tasting the metallic tang of rain in a toxic futuristic city, or the prickling sensation on your skin from the dueling magic of wizards in the air around you, to the scent of composted leaves on a forest floor in autumn, or the sound of a distant rumble from the depths of the faraway mountain. 

Striking the right balance to find that sweet spot where descriptions enhance a reader’s experience and vacuum them up into the world you’ve created should be a goal for any author. Fiction is a vast realm of possibility where the right descriptions can set a reader’s imagination ablaze. 

It’s not just telling readers about how a dragon looks; it’s about revealing the gleam of its scales under a dying sun, the heat of its breath that causes eyes to water and the smell of it that makes stomachs flip and the insides of cheeks salivate, or the vibration of the reverberating rumble from its snarl of warning.

Skyscrapers aren’t just “tall.” They could be giants of metal and glass reaching through the clouds in desperation for the sun. Their enormous load of collective exhaustion from their stacked inhabitants blanketing the street full of traffic and pedestrians below.

There are even ways to describe silence with other senses than hearing. The air can feel heavy, still, it can even make your skin prickle. That would make me feel a wide variety of emotions depending on the environment I’m in and what’s happening around me. What about you? 

Are you getting the gist of what I’m saying?

Your mind is a wild and vibrant landscape in and of itself and has the potential to make your words dance off the page. 

Let your mind delve deep into the distinct sensations you’d feel if you were right there in the scene you’re writing. Have your tools of metaphors and similes at the ready to express your vision without the need for excessive, overcomplicated details. 

For example: 

The thud of closing doors became the heartbeat of the castle. 

The misting rain was the whispers of forgotten souls. 

OR 

My skin prickled like the last time I opened the front door wearing nothing but my robe when it was 30 degrees and windy. 

The leaf sizzled on the water of the lake like frying bacon. 

Sensations fuel emotion and emotions create sensations. These things are not completely separate. They react to one another; they play off each other. 

Our whole bodies respond to their environments. Our nervous system is involved every second of life. Work with that. 

Work with what you have. The descriptions of the experiences of YOUR senses can be your ultimate weapon in the battles for reader immersion. You’ll be able to craft descriptions that not only transport readers but make them want to unpack and settle into the scenery.

Just remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Find a good balance. Keep control of the wild labyrinth of tangents and avoid burying the narrative under an avalanche of details. Sprinkle stardust on the mundane and plant curiosity in every corner. 

Go forth and describe in confidence, you magnificent authors. 

In my next article, I’ll elaborate on Deep POV.