How to describe setting: why less is almost always more

Describing a setting can easily be too much or too little. What research says about how readers imagine, plus 3 questions to decide what to keep and what to cut.

Setting a scene in fiction writing can be harder than we give ourselves credit for. As a writer, you can probably picture every single detail of your world with clarity.

But when it comes to writing it down, the magical shop you pictured with long shelves full of numerous jars varying in color and size, each with different layers of dust, becomes “the shop that had a lot of dusty jars.” Or the opposite, like a page filled with details worthy of a real estate listing.

In this article, let’s talk about how to describe a setting, the elements of it, and why it’s not as complex as you may think.

Table of contents

• Why you don’t need to describe every detail of your setting

• What is a setting in writing (and what goes into it)?

• How to write a setting: 3 questions to find the right balance

Author’s note ✍

This article started as a question from MyJewishBookshelf, who I’ll be calling “dude” in this article, and who asked me to write about three different things:

1. Setting description

2. Scene transitions

3. Character interiority

In their own words about setting:

“Setting — it’s something I’m working on because, ironically, even though I picture everything in my mind, the getting it down is a bit harder. The way I do it now is two or three details to make the space not be a ‘white room’ but I’m curious how much is actually needed/too much, yada yada.”

As a writer very dedicated to my subscribers (call me cheesy), I looked at the feasibility of these to see if I could make a good article out of each. And well, here we are.

Consider this part one on setting and description. Scene transitions and interiority are next.

I hope you like this one, dude! (Couldn’t find numbers, but hope this helps.)

Why you don’t need to describe every detail of your setting

You don’t need to describe every detail of your setting because it can slow down the pacing and compromise your reader’s attention.

Oftentimes we, as writers, have a very specific picture of what a setting looks like in our story. Every detail feels important because we want the reader to picture it exactly as we do. But this is often unnecessary.

I’m sure you’ve heard the “book was better than the movie” discussion way too many times. And the truth is: yes, the book is almost always better. But one major reason is that when you’re reading a book, you’re actively engaging with it.

If something isn’t described, you fill in the blanks with your imagination.

If a character’s appearance isn’t described in detail, you still have a picture of them in your head.

If a castle is “old,” you already know it’s made of stone that feels cold to the touch.

In comparison, the movie just feeds you all the details, which, let’s be honest, makes it kind of disappointing.

But if you saw the movie first and read the book second, you just picture what’s happening in the book with details already provided. The movie doesn’t feel as lacking then.

A 2019 review of research on moving image vs. language came to the conclusion that:

“...processing written fiction relies more heavily on the resources of the episodic memory system. This suggests a mechanism that could help explain the different effects of the two media [movies and books], with written fiction using internal scene construction to make causal predictions, and in doing so, readers/hearers modify their existing model of the world more extensively than viewers and more distinctly from one another.”

Which basically means reading generates more diverse responses than watching movies. Precisely because you’re using your own context and imagination to fill in the blanks.

Moreover (and because I found another interesting article), readers aren’t created equal. While some probably enjoy J.R.R. Tolkien’s vivid descriptions, others can find them tedious.

In fact, there’s a condition called aphantasia, in which it’s difficult for people to picture scenes or objects in their head. They understand the concept of a fountain pen with intricate golden patterns. They just can’t picture it easily.

And what does this mean when they read fiction?

According to a study by cognitive scientist Laura Speed, people with aphantasia are less absorbed by the world and care less about descriptions of scenery. HOWEVER, according to this study, people with aphantasia still enjoyed the story as much as people without the condition.

Descriptions are important to ground your reader. Some people really enjoy them while others don’t. But a good story doesn’t depend on very detailed descriptions because the reader is more than capable of filling in the blanks.

You do, however, need to give them something to build from.

What is a setting in writing (and what goes into it)?

Setting is the time and place in which your story happens. Most of us instinctively start with the obvious, like the immediate physical location and time of day.

These elements are important because they ground the reader in your scene. Even if readers don’t get all the details from the description, just mentioning a dubious bar or the Victorian era gives them a lot of information to start filling in the blanks.

Without a setting in every scene, you could find yourself with a serious case of white room syndrome. If you’ve never heard the term, here’s what it means:

White room syndrome is when your characters are walking, talking, and just generally interacting in a white room because you (yes, you!), the writer, forgot to set the scene.

Your characters could be having an emotional heart-to-heart in a throne room. Or inside an IKEA display with shoppers staring at them and wondering why they’re dressed as if they walked out of a fantasy novel.

And who knows? That may be exactly where your characters are, with the fantasy-like clothing and everything. But you have to tell your reader, or their imagination will build the wrong room.

Now, what goes into setting?

Time and place are the most cited elements across sources (like LitCharts and SuperSummary). However, some add a third or fourth element on top.

Here’s a list of the three elements I consider most important for your scene:

1. Place (the where)

2. Time (the when)

3. Environment or milieu (the world around the characters, such as weather, culture and society)

Some writers may group these differently or add atmosphere (mood) as a fourth. Others may argue that the setting brings the mood. All of that is fine as long as your reader knows where they are, when, and what kind of world they’re in.

How to write a setting: 3 questions to find the right balance

To write a setting, keep in mind the place, time, and environment. However, you don’t need to over-describe. It may feel like the reader needs all of these details, but my recommendation would be to cut them if you can’t answer any of the following questions with a “yes.”

• Does it matter to the POV character or plot? For example, a detail that reveals something about the character, or a Chekhov’s gun that will pay off later.

• Is it worldbuilding your reader needs? Context that your reader needs to understand this scene.

• Does it ground the reader? This is about making sure the reader knows when and where your characters are.

If any of these is a “yes,” keep it. If all are “no,” well, my advice is to cut it, but it’s your story. In that sense, there’s no wrong way to do descriptions. Just remember that too little of it doesn’t help your reader fill in the blanks, and too much of it can be tedious or unnecessary for some readers.

BONUS: the unhinged tip

I firmly believe that writing your book is all about constant trial and error. So, if you like writing long paragraphs with vivid descriptions, just do it. Write it all.

Sometimes writing more than necessary about our world is how we get to understand it better. You can always save your work as a first draft and then cut out information in the second. A good editor (or a few honest beta readers) can help you spot what to cut and improve your manuscript.

Describing a setting isn’t about how much to put on the page, but about giving your reader enough information.

📌Question: Do you like long, detailed descriptions as a reader, or do you skim them? Let me know below.

As always, if there’s a writing topic you’d like me to cover, drop it in the comments.

And scene

If you made it this far, you’re probably one of those readers who 100% their book. So, thank you for bearing with me until the end :)

If you found this article helpful (either as a writer or a lurker), consider following along as I figure out how to actually write that book.

Take care and keep writing. ✍️