Okay, so at this point in the game I've basically beat the point to death that you need narration as well as dialogue. Now, a lot of narration is just, well, your character narrating what is going on. Part of that, however, is your character describing what they see, hear, smell, etc. In a story, you need to know how to describe things well. I'm going to provide you with some tips but it is up to you to actually figure it out on your own, using my tips.
Tip #1:
Before choosing how to describe something, you must consider what to describe in the first place. If you aren't selective in what you find important to describe, your story will become boring. Often times, people didn't plan out enough to happen in a chapter but they are aiming for a certain amount of words so they just describe random, unimportant things to get there. Let me tell you something; it will always be more effective to not describe something boring than to describe it in the hopes it will fill the pages.
Now, let's move back to what I was saying. I can tell you to be selective but I can't tell you how and that is why this is only a tip. What you believe to be necessary or important is your judgement and only yours because when it comes down to it, the author controls the story. I'd suggest describing very interesting sceneries to set mood or because you need to know what it looks like. Try to leave out your character's daily routine or what their outfit looks like, unless it's for a masquerade ball or something out of the ordinary.
Tip #2:
Next up, avoid repetition and paraphrasing. First of all, your readers don't need to hear the same thing said twice, even if it does sound different. We're pretty smart but we get bored if you insult our intelligence so get on with the story, please. So basically just try to avoid saying the same thing twice.
However, if you do have to repeat something, make sure that you do not say it in the same way. Find synonyms for the word to ward off repetition. Or you can paraphrase, but like I said, try not to! This isn't an English essay where you have to write about the same thing for an hour and a half. The same point doesn't need to be repeated until our eyes roll back into our heads.
Tip #3:
So the time has come where you've hit a wall. Yes, it's the horrible condition of *gasp* writer's block! But what can you do? You just don't know where to begin in describing something.
And this is where I come in. My tip for you today is to completely take what you are trying to describe out of context of the story. If it's a character, remove her name. Then just try and describe the first things that come to mind. Don't worry about it making sense in the story; just write. Keep writing until you are all out of creativity. Then you can cut down on it, making adjustments so that it fits into the story and removing what you don't want or need.
Tip #4:
I've talked about the main types of figurative language -- now you need to try and use it. People absolutely drool over figurative language and analogies. Try and incorporate as many as you can without making it seem too crowded. It will create some very vivid imagery and help readers appreciate your skill. Figurative language is always a good idea. Don't let any one else tell you otherwise.
Tip #5:
Next up is vocabulary. I'm not saying you need to read a thesaurus or dictionary in your free time or anything, but try to broaden your vocabulary as much as possible. This means searching up definitions for words you hear that you don't understand, reading more books, and paying special attention to how others talk. That way, when you are writing your descriptions finding good words to you will come easier. Especially venture out of the teen section if that's where you generally spend your time because the adult books tend to have a more vast vocabulary.
If you are trying to think of a good word in place of a boring one, you can always visit www.thesaurus.com for other ideas. I highly recommend using this resource.
Tip #6:
Another important thing to remember is that in order to have good descriptions, they have to flow well, too. I wrote a chapter on this so please read it if you have not already or just to refresh your memory! It's way more detailed than this short tip will be but my main points for flow have to do with switching up your transitions and getting creative with sentence lengths. That in no way is all that makes flow work so, again, take a quick peek at that chapter.
Tip #7:
In describing, people tend to limit everything only to what they see and not the other four senses. I don't want to sound like your grade four teacher, but I'm going to repeat what they are anyway: sight, taste, smell, sound, and touch. Sometimes it isn't appropriate to use all five of them and can even be too detailed a description than what you need but if you're stuck, you can always turn to these five.
I'm going to give a few examples -- one good, one bad -- that will apply to this tip, but also the next tip that has to do with showing vs. telling.
Example #1: The dog was dirty.
That is not a very good description. Lets try using the five senses.
Example #2: A pungent smell met my nostrils, making me gag involuntarily. I glanced at my feet, double checking to see that I had not stepped in horse poop -- one could never be sure in the countryside -- but saw nothing. Frowning, I kept walking, trying to get away from wherever the atrocious scent was coming from. Unfortunately, it continued to follow me as I kept on my way, like the ghoul that haunted me in my worst dreams.
My answer as to the cause appeared running from somewhere to my left and I reflexively held my hand up to my nose in protection. A golden retriever galloped up to me, it's tongue lolling. Or rather golden was not the right word for it -- it's fur was muddied and gray, appearing wet and slick atop it's back. On the way over, the retriever stomped in a puddle with a great big splash that made me flinch, further coating it's fur so as to make it even harder to distinguish the original colour.
Go away, I thought, but the dog heard not and instead nudged my hand up with their snout. Something thick and greasy rubbed off on my skin and I tried to wipe it off on my skirt. Yuck. I turned on my heal, trying my best to distance myself from the beast. As if in response to my disgust, a heavy downpour started overhead and I reached to pull my jacket over my head. It pit-pattered against the pavement and filled my eardrums with a new sound that I had yet to hear in the dry summer we'd been having. Cold water ran down my skin and soaked my clothing and newly-styled hair. The dog glanced over at me, now even further drenched. Well, I thought bitterly, I guess that makes two of us.
You must have noticed that this description was a lot longer than the last. I used most of the senses, with the exception of taste. Try and find them if you can and point them out in the comments!
Tip #8:
Lets use my example for this tip. One of the most important keys to good description is by not telling the reader what is there, but by showing it. In my last example I used a dirty dog. Not once did I actually say that the dog was dirty the second time around. Instead, I described what my character was seeing, smelling, and feeling, etc. You can infer that the dog is dirty by the pungent smell I described and the fact that their fur was no longer golden, as it should be. Try this trick as much as possible.
Tip #9:
In many cases, a big wall of description is not what you want at all, like for character appearances. If it isn't a very necessary piece of information you need to know right away, try and work it in gradually. For example, indicate that so-and-so has blue eyes here, having her flick her brown hair over he shoulder a couple paragraphs later, etc. This way, your readers won't get irritated and will subtly be informed about the little details.
Tip #10:
One thing you should start practising and learn how to do is incorporating a character's personality and own opinions into their descriptions. Someone who hates Donald Trump would describe him very differently than Donald Trump would describe himself. This is where tone comes in, too. Narration will be a thousand times more interesting if it is told as your character is saying it, not like a neutral, monotonous person might. Remember the saying that one man's trash is another man's treasure. Different people will describe things very differently.
Tip #11:
Always envision what you are about to describe beforehand. It will make the words come easier, believe me. Plus, then you will know for sure what you want to talk about. What are your first thoughts that come to mind when you imagine the scene? Write it down.
Tip #12:
My last tip is that you should experiment. The best way to perfect something is through practise and you need to practise writing just like any other skill. The more description you write, the better you will get at it. You don't even need to practise writing in your stories all the time. Pick something random to write about and away you go. I challenge you to try and describe something new every night.
That's all for this chapter. I hope that this was helpful (duh) and if you have questions or comments, I'd love to hear them!