The #1 Setting Mistake That Makes Readers Put a Book Down (And How to Fix It)

Behind the Curtain: Scenic Transportation

If you’re a lover of classic literature (well, I am), you know this typical scene (or book) opener well: lush descriptions of the environment. The breeze rippling through the grasses on the moors. The castle standing on a distant hill. The colors of the clouds and whether or not they threaten rain.

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Boring, we’re told. Modern readers think this is boring.

Which means that most writer’s instincts tell them to cut the description entirely. If modern readers are only interested in the story, then let’s tell them the story. Forget fluffy description.

The truth is, both approaches are wrong. Here’s why—and what you should think abut doing instead: