IN FICTION WRITING, the better writers understand the art of holding back. As a rule, it isn't necessary to name every last shade of color in a sunset or to describe a character's features in photographic detail. The beauty of writing is that it leaves something to the reader's imagination. Obviously you want to present enough detail to convey a picture, but it's not always best to do so with lumbering thoroughness or dedicated realism.

For example, qualifying each line of dialogue with descriptive adverbs, such as '"That dress makes you look like a walrus," he said insultingly,' can come through as heavy-handed. Try to make the dialogue itself and the context convey the speaker's mood or motivations; spelling things out on every occasion carries an implication that you don't expect your readers to pick up on much themselves.