In a writing seminar I once attended (actually, it was the only one I ever attended), the speaker noted how some writers had the tendency to “over-describe”. When presenting readers with the story at hand, they tend to mistake “exaggerated” for “detailed”.

It’s not that you should be stingy when it comes to presenting your story.

A detailed story with enough meat and bones to satisfy readers is always good. You want your readers to find something they can sink their teeth into. I suppose you’ve come across articles that seemed promising, thanks to the title, but had little to offer once you read it. There’s a skeleton of a story, true, but the essential information that would have made it an informative and interesting read can’t be found.

What I mean to say is that you should use adjectives in a manner that won’t turn off your readers.

Let me explain. When writing, we want to paint a picture as vivid as possible so that our readers may see what we want them to see. We want the to receive the message we’re sending. As writers, we have specific concepts that we try very hard to convey to our readers through pen and paper. We want them to see exactly what we see.

But how do we do that?

Some writers tend to put too much of their own feelings into their writing. This is not entirely incorrect, as one should be passionate about one’s writing. However, writers should allow readers to experience the matter described, not impose these “feelings” on the readers.

For example, some writers tend to write this way:

“I was incredibly moved by the young beggar’s pitiful eyes. I could not help but feel my gut wrenched by the powerful emotions in my heart. I could see how the young beggar lacked nourishment and care. My heart was drawn to him immediately. I felt crushed by the difficulties of the world, horrified by the unfair hand dealt to this young child. I felt compassion well up in my heart…”

In this example, the writer presents his own thoughts and feelings in such a melodramatic manner that the result is cloying rather than touching. The focus, in fact, shifts from the beggar to the writer himself. If a writer draws more from his own emotions and focuses on them, the reader will be less interested in the actual subject as well.

The result is a melodramatic piece that revels more in the writer’s own pool of drama than in the actual subject at hand. As such, readers will probably find that this kind of writing is too emotional to present any solid information.

Too much emotionality in your writing can easily take away its power.

Consider writing with an even tone, presenting the details as vividly as possible, but without overdoing the emotion. You want the reader to experience your words. Less is more, really. You don’t want them to just soak in your tears; you want them to decide and feel for themselves.

Write in a manner that is raw and honest. Use adjectives only when necessary. Let your story shine on its own, without any additional and useless embellishments.

Let your audience feel.

XOXO,