When It Comes Time to Describe Something, It’s Appearance Is Always Secondary

Instead, ask yourself this:

How do I want my audience to feel about this thing?

In a story that I'm working on for an upcoming Moth GrandSLAM championship, I'm standing beside a baggage carousel at an airport. I could say many things about the carousel, but I want my audience to despise it as much as I do, so I will only describe those things that make it sound awful:

The depressing, unidentifiable color of the carpet.

The zombie-like expressions on the people around me. The desperation in the air. The flickering, fluorescent lighting.

It's a baggage carousel, so it's admittedly not hard.

But remember:

Description is not about accuracy. It's about emotion.

We don't invent things that didn't actually exist, but we can pick and choose only those descriptors that suit our purposes.

Storytellers are not objective reporters.

We are manipulators of emotion, suspense, surprise, humor, and wonder. As such, we only include those things that serve our story.