5 Ways to Write Better Descriptions for Creative Writers

You're the only YouTuber whose videos I watch right away. Your tips are always relevant and you have such a clear way of explaining. No one does it like you. Thank you for yet another great video!

"micromanaging the reader's imagination" ... solid gold

My favorite other-sensory description of hot weather is from the first page of We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Haeberlin: "The heat's so bad out here the crickets are screaming for grace."

I love that you have examples. It's much easier to know what people are talking about when you can see examples. :)

Found you a few days ago and there are so many things I like about your presentations having to do with writing: straightforward, smart without being fussy, common sense and likeability with nothing to prove. Among the best compliments I can provide is to say that if I were in the position to further your audience, I would. You've got a specialness and I thank you for your work.

Thank you for this video, I’m one of those people who tends to under-describe, partly because the idea in my head is so clear that I forget to actually write it in a way other people can understand, partly because a lot of people have told me “don’t over-describe, be concise”. My mind’s eye is like… whatever is the object of focus is the only focused thing, and if I’m imagining something large or busy (like a crowded town square) it’s like my mind’s eye camera is doing rapid cuts between different images. An important trick is to try and write what the character would notice as the description. If they’re an architect, they might notice who designed a certain building. If they care about fashion, maybe they can tell where the businessman who just left the building got his suit. If they’re observant and suspicious, they might notice the businessman’s badly concealed gun, etc etc.

One of my biggest description writing quirks is overusing THE. “THE chair was red. THE cushions were old. THE room…” Awesome video!

You, Ellen Brock, are an island in the sea of countless writing tips videos. This is the way my brain needed to hear this information. Thank you for this!

My hero has returned with another video. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Ellen!

Amazing advice. I LOLd at "medium-sized eyes"

When I write, I try to vary how much I describe depending on the scene or the moment. Like, in an action scene, I won't give too much details, just the basics, maybe focus more on movement and feelings, while in the beginning of a scene, before things have really taken off, or a character enters a new location for the first time, I'll put more time into describing the look of the place. However, if a place is visited many times, I won't describe it every time, just remind people that hey, it's the cellar again, with the blue box, remember? Ok, good. :p Sort of. :)

In the first example, i think I'd have described it as something like: Ahead lay soft, rolling grass hills against a backdrop of autumn-coloured forest and far-off blue mountains. On the left, a small village with tile and straw roofs huddled against the thin evening mist. Something simple like that will give them a fairly clear scene, but they can add the exact details themselves. They'll do that anyway, regardless of how exactly you describe things, or not. Also, one should try to describe more important things in higher detail than unimportant things. :) That's my experience, anyway.

I just finished watching your writer types and its absolutely insane how insightful you are. Your so young but anyone can tell that you've been doing this for a long time. The experience really shines through. Insane, absolutely insane.

And this is why I frequently recommend to Kindle authors that they need to spend the money to hire not only a competent proofreader, but a professional editor! Passing freshman English is also a prerequisite. Thanks.

As someone who is only writing fan-fiction, this channel is extremely helpful! I'm writing Star Wars in my own future time period with many changes from the original setting. But, I want my stories to feel professional, and these videos are very helpful. All of your tips are gold.

Yes! Video saved on "Watch Later" playlist; like button preemptively clicked!

Not only the content of these videos is very very valuable, but the way this girl chooses her words when she talks is something else .. I realised how enjoyable it is to just listen to her eloquence

You come off like an actual professor of creative writing, the way you (heh) describe your lessons here. I can’t even find a word, that better conveys what you offer, than “lessons”

Ma'am, you're the best. Somehow I stumbled upon your channel. & It's been nothing but gold.

I call it the "Checklist of appearances". When it's all listed in a line. I try nowadays to make descriptions matter. like, give the most apparent things first, then add more stuff as they move, or as someone notices something.