The axiom “show, don’t tell” is so well known it’s practically a writing cliché. Indeed, it might be the first lesson many new writers learn. But how exactly can writers show instead of tell?

One way is through the inclusion of details. A writer in one of my writing critique groups was reading a scene about an art exhibition opening. Another attendee suggested she describe the visitors. “Are they rich? Are they powerful? Are they people of color? What are they wearing?” That was good advice.

Details may include information about a scene’s setting, a character, interaction between characters, or any other part of your story. Your goal is to paint a specific picture in your reader’s mind so he or she can easily imagine what’s occurring.

For example, if your character is enjoying a fast-food lunch, don’t just write, “Bill stopped to eat lunch.” Have him go to McDonald’s and eat a Big Mac, or Burger King and a Whopper. Tell your readers if he ordered French fries and what flavor of soft drink he chose. Details should appeal to as many of our five senses as possible, so you could describe what the burger looked like, how it felt in his hands, what it smelled like, and of course the taste. Maybe you could even describe his anticipation as he heard the burger sizzling on the grill.

In addition to our five senses, details may include facts, figures, dates, or anything else you can describe in specific terms.

Details must be realistic and factually accurate. If your scene is set in modern times and you write that your character paid 25 cents for his Big Mac you’ll lose credibility. Similarly, if you tell your readers how CNN covered the Watergate scandal they won’t believe you because Watergate happened in the early 1970s and CNN launched in 1980.

How would you add detail to these sentences?

1. “The insurance company responded quickly. They sent us a big check.”

Details we can supply include “What was quickly? What insurance company? How big was the check?” This is better:

“GEICO responded in 10 days. They sent us a check for $9,892.”

And another example:

2. The young woman was beautiful.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but let’s describe her like this:

She was about 23, with large brown eyes perfectly framed by brunette hair and accompanied by a cute, tiny nose, and a mouth that looked like it was ready to be kissed.

All this can be overdone, of course. Say your character is riding a bicycle. Call it a woman’s 21-speed, cherry red in color, with a white seat. But don’t tell us there’s a smudge of chain grease on the crossbar, a tiny crack in one reflector, and a tire is missing a valve stem cover. Those details are overkill unless they’re somehow necessary to the story.

How do you know how much detail is too much? Writing is an art, not a science, so there’s no magic formula. If you can picture the person, the scenery, or whatever entity you’re describing then your readers can, too.