Writers! Add More Horns!!!

The Power of Context, Movement, and Desire in Literary Description  

By Dinty W. Moore

In writing workshops, our fellow writers will inevitably tell us to “Add more detail!”

Okay, but isn’t that a bit like telling someone attempting to compose a symphony to “Add more NOISE!”?

“What sort of noise? Horns, strings, or percussion?”

“Oh, maybe horns!”

“Why horns!?” you might ask. “And what should those horns sound like?”

When our fellow writers tell us to add more details, the...