Be Specific When You Write

Be specific when you write. Don't tell your reader There was a box on the table. That's so general that the reader has no idea if the author meant a wooden box, a metal box, or a cardboard box. The reader doesn't get any sense of the size of the box, nor what it looked like.

If you write A small box rested on the table. Its deep purple color and the silver ribbon wrapped around it made me stop. 

In the example above, the writer specified the size, the color, that it was wrapped in ribbon like a gift. Isn't that far better than merely stating that there was a box on the table? 

What if I said A woman waited at the counter. You have no idea what that woman looks like. But if I said, A nun waited at the counter. you have an immediate mental image. I could go farther and say A rotund nun waited at the counter. Now, that mental image is more clear. 

If I wrote People stared at the animal on the corner, you'd have no idea if it was big or small, tame or wild, what kind of animal. Nothing except it was an 'animal.' A clearer mental image would be brought if I wrote People stared at the spotted Dalmatian on the corner.

Being more specific in your writing is a small thing, but it can bring your writing to life and help your readers see what you have already seen in your own mind. Be careful not to overdo and add a barrage of adjectives to help the reader see even better. Too many adjectives tend to cover up the noun itself. Adjectives are extremely helpful in small doses.