TECH: A cliffhanger, then a bit of color...

[mbarker]

 Original Posting 2021/5/8

I was just ruminating on something I've noticed a number of authors that I really like do. See, they have colorful descriptions of the scenery, the towns, even the meals around the characters, and they don't make me feel as if I've hit an infodump or something. The reason they get away with it is two-fold.

First, they often have a cliffhanger or other bit that makes me want to keep reading just before the descriptive stretch. Someone says something, there's a knock at the door, maybe a reveal that throws things into confusion, something that foreshadows that in just a little bit, we are going to learn something important, see some action, or whatever. Then, while I'm looking ahead to that next step, they slip the descriptive bit in.

Second, it's well written description, and not too long. Not so long that I feel as if we're avoiding getting on with it. And it is description that I enjoy reading.

What do you think? What tricks do you use, or have you seen used, to slide that description into the middle of the story and make readers enjoy it?