This can present quite a problem for authors who want to paint a vivid picture in their readers’ imagination, but don’t want to bore them with excess information.
The solution is a deft use of the “telling detail.”
North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell (affiliate link)
Take, for example, this line from North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell’s classic tale of social revolution, in which a character fills up an awkward silence by
…[occupying] himself in smoothing the nap of his hat with his coat-sleeve.
This is such a simple statement, but it not only perfectly conveys the mood of the character, it also provides a vivid image of the bygone beaver-skin hat this Victorian-era gentleman would have been wearing. In half a sentence, Gaskell’s telling detail accomplishes what she never would have been able to in a full description of the character’s appearance and clothing.
The telling detail is a single nuance that takes the place of entire pages of description. You might spend hundreds of words trying to portray the shift of sunlight on water, but if you’re able to hit upon just the right telling detail, that’s all you’ll need to cause your image to explode into your readers’ minds with more force and color than you could ever hope to share through mere explanation.
Discovering the telling detail is largely a matter of serendipity, trial and error, and a keen observatory eye. Don’t allow yourself to settle for obvious details; dig beneath the surface until you find one that transforms your scene.
