To Write Better Descriptions, Do This
Plus, my first podcast episode and TONS of writing resources
*For writing links and resources, scroll down.*
HOW had I not noticed?
The other afternoon I was at the playground with my kids, feeling the weight of my cell phone in my back pocket and itching to pull it out. Why? To check my email for the millionth time or scroll pointlessly on Instagram? I told myself no. I’m trying (and sometimes failing) to stay off my phone when I’m with my kids. I don’t want their memories of childhood to be “and Mom was always on her phone.”
Instead, I decided to do nothing except watch my daughters play and be present in the moment…
Oh wow. How had I not noticed how loud the cicadas were in the trees? Like twenty car alarms going off at once, and yet I had somehow tuned out the blaring noise. And how had I not realized the cloudless sky was a perfect cerulean blue? Had I not bothered to look up all day long?
That scared me. Because part of my job as a fiction writer is description. To help my readers “see” the story I’m telling, make it come alive for them in their minds. How can I excel at description when, in my daily life, I’m failing to notice the sensory details all around me?
Writing with the five senses
I sat down at the picnic table, went through each of my senses, and simply noticed.
I noticed the way the breeze was cool against my skin but the sun was hot, like a scoop of vanilla ice cream sitting atop a slice of apple pie fresh from the oven.
I noticed the earthy smell of dirt and grass, and the slightly plastic smell of playground equipment roasting in the sun.
I went through each of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and in my mind I put words to what I was noticing. I thought about how I’d describe sitting here at the playground, half in the shade and half in the scorching sun, under the cicada song and the cerulean sky.
It was nice.
I need to do this more often. Get off my phone and out of my head. Take a moment to open my eyes and ears and nostrils. Look up, down, and all around and simply notice my surroundings. So that when I’m back at my writing desk, I can better describe my characters’ surroundings.
So often writers focus on the visual, but don’t forget to use the other senses in your descriptions as well. Smell is a powerful but often overlooked sensory detail. Taste, touch, and sound as well. Here’s a passage from The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon that I like to use as an example when I’m teaching setting. Notice all the sensory details she packs into this description. (I’ve condensed it slightly for length.)
Our grandmother’s pool was twenty by forty-five feet and surrounded by carved granite. Moss grew in the cracks between the damp, gray stones; the sides were stained green with algae… Weeds grew along the edges, clinging to the stone, floating with Lexie and me…My sister loved the pool. I hated it; the water was black—so dark that you couldn’t see your feet when you treaded water. It stank of rot and sulphur, tasted like burnt matches and rust, and was colder than the ice bath my mother plunged me in once when my fever got too high. It sucked the breath out of you; numbed your limbs, left your skin red and your lips blue. Each time we came out of the water, we really did look like the dead girls we were pretending to be.
Don’t miss my first episode!
Dropping September 11 is the first episode of This Mama is Lit! in which you can hear my voice! Only in the intro and outro, but this was also my first-ever experience with audio editing a podcast. I think I did a decent job. Let me know your thoughts. And maybe I’m bias, but this conversation with author
is absolutely riveting.And then, on September 25th, listen to me and my co-hosts have a fascinating chat with poet, essayist, and novelist
.Subscribe via Apple, or however you get your podcasts. Or, if you’d rather subscribe via Substack, first subscribe to
(the literary magazine that produces This Mama is Lit!) then do the following:From the Substack homepage, search for Literary Mama and click on the “Subscribed” button. (See first pic below.)
Click on “Manage Subscriptions.”
Toggle to receive updates about podcast episodes. (See second pic below.)
Step 1. From here, click on the “Subscribed” button.
Writing News & Resources:
For All Writers:
Looking to improve your craft? Check out the online fall class offerings from MFA For All — all taught by top-notch authors.
As usual, a great post on the craft of writing beginnings from the ever-witty
From Good Story Company:
Free online Editor AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Sept. 25. Bring your writing, revision, and publishing questions to their experienced panel of editors.
Free online Writing an Irresistible Query Workshop on Oct. 10
Listen to the latest episodes of This Mama is Lit, a podcast from Literary Mama featuring interviews with writer-moms. (P.S. We’re STILL looking to hire an audio editor!)
Literary Mama (the online journal) is now accepting submissions!
All About Fantasy Virtual Full-Day Retreat on Sept. 28 from Bianca Marais, fantasy author and host of the great podcast The Shit No One Tells You About Writing.
Check out the free event replays of various workshops at Manuscript Academy.
NYC Midnight’s Rhyming Story challenge starts September 20. Register now!
The Writers Center website is a GREAT resource for finding grants, fellowships, residencies & retreats, publishers (who publish non-agented authors), and literary journal opportunities.
Ready Chapter 1 is a community-powered platform connecting book publishers with undiscovered writers. Find peer critiques and more.
Check out all the many upcoming online craft workshops from Savvy Authors!
Writing Workshops also offers lots of online classes in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, picture books, and the business of writing.
Check out the meet-up group called Shut Up & Write. There are in-person chapters all over the country, as well online events.
NewPages has tons of submission calls from literary magazines and journals.
For KidLit Writers:
Free online workshop Writing Irresistible Picture Books on Sept. 26.
Apply for the We Need Diverse Books Mentorship Program; deadline: Sept. 15.
Enter the YA Open contest for prose in the YA genre. Deadline Oct. 1
The Story Mastermind Novel & Picture Book application is now open with workshops beginning in January. In just five months, you could have a complete, polished draft of your novel OR a complete portfolio of picture book manuscripts—and a plan to submit and launch it. Apply by October 15th!
Mary Kole has a new book: the Writing Irresistible Picture Books Workbook
Wow Con, WriteMentor’s annual online conference for writers of children’s fiction: Sept. 27-29.
YALLFest, the Book Festival for writers and readers of Young Adult will be held Nov. 15-16 in Charleston, SC. Keynote speakers have finally been announced!
A list of places that publish stories for children from The Write Life.
Literary Rambles has information on kidlit agents and agent interviews.
Submit your children’s book to these publishers: no agent required!
Here’s an incredible list of upcoming events for KidLit writers!
Check out SCBWI (The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) for events, conferences, critique partners and more. (Picture book through YA.)
For Querying Writers:
Here’s a list of small publishers, most of which do not require agents.
- ’s latest post has a list of publishers accepting submissions from unagented authors.
Andrea Bartz has a list of successful query letters (many of them thrillers).
Pitch contests on Twitter(“X”) seem to be coming back. These events can feel like a bunch of authors screaming into the void, but it doesn’t hurt to try. After all, I found my agent through a Twitter pitch party. So read my article:13 Things to Know About Twitter Pitch Events then mark your calendar for these upcoming pitch parties:
#PitchDis on Sept. 10-12 will take place on the PitchDis website and is for writers who self-identify as disabled, neurodivergent, and/or chronically ill. To make sure everyone's comfortable with the new pitching format, the form will be posted Aug 5-9. Use the form to practice, but any info submitted during this time will be deleted. Pitches will ONLY be accepted September 10-12
#PitBLK on Sept. 21-24 for all authors of African descent will take place on the PitBLK website.
#KidLitGN on Oct. 2 for for writers and illustrators of middle grade and younger graphic novels. This event will take place on the KidLitGN website.
I occasionally choose a subscriber for a FREE submission package critique. Send me your query and first two pages, and, if I chose your submission, I will send you feedback on both. Fill out the form here.
Writing Conferences & Events:
Live in the mid-Atlantic region and looking for a writing retreat get-away?
2024 Writing Retreats at ZigBone Farm (Just one hour from DC/Baltimore area in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains). MD residents can apply for a grant to help cover costs!
September 22-27: Fall-on-the-Farm Women's Poetry Writing Retreatwith Award-Winning Poet and Writing Instructor Ann Quinn
The Writer’s Retreat at Good Contrivance Farm. Open year-round, the only requirement for this peaceful retreat north of Baltimore is that you use the time to work on your writing. Spaces normally book about two months in advance.
The James River Writers Conference in Richmond, VA is happening Oct. 4-6.
The Maryland Writers’ Association Conference is happening Oct. 19-20 in Baltimore.
Rooted & Written 2024 Conference, Oct. 27-Nov 2 is a free in-person conference featuring Bay Area Writers of Color.
Thinking about going to a conference or applying for a residency? Check out the free searchable database on Poets & Writers.
YALLFest, the Book Festival for writers and readers of Young Adult will be held Nov. 15-16 in Charleston, SC.
The San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival is happening February 12-16 in beautiful/historic San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I’ve spent a lot of time in San Miguel, and it’s a great place to visit.
Are you an author who's had a book published in the last two years? The Annapolis Book Festival is now accepting submissions for our 2025 Festival, which will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025.
The Writing Day Workshop “How to Get Published” Conferences are affordable and helpful. Plus, sign up for pitch sessions with agents for $29 a piece. For online conferences, attend from anywhere in the world! Check out the upcoming conferences:
Wow Con, WriteMentor’s annual online conference for writers of children’s fiction: Sept. 27-29.
Writers Digest offers loads of virtual conferences on a variety of publishing and writing craft topics.
For more writing conferences, check out this list or the free searchable database on Poets & Writers.
Can’t wait to listen!