Failure ModesFoundational
Over-Description
The prose supplies so much detail that the reader has no room to complete the picture.
Principle
Description should guide attention, not occupy all of it.
Takeaways
- Inventory can flatten the very scene it tries to enrich.
- Too many details make it hard to know what matters.
- The strongest description selects, ranks, and releases.
Overview
Over-description is the descriptive counterpart to over-explanation. The prose names every visible feature, gesture, or texture until the reader is managing a list rather than imagining a scene.
Examples
- A room description itemizes every object before the scene's pressure is clear.
- A character's clothing is catalogued in full when one revealing detail would do.