By the end of this course, you’ll be able to use description intentionally to create vivid, immersive scenes; incorporate sensory detail and unexpected elements to spark creativity; and identify descriptions that feel automatic, overused, or unnecessary. Acclaimed writer Kathy Fish demystifies the art of description with concrete examples, practical advice, and tools you can return to again and again.

Across three parts, you’ll explore how description can do more than provide window dressing: it can create a “felt experience” that pulls readers into your work. You’ll learn how to make thoughtful choices about what to describe, use the senses and the unexpected to create fresh imagery, and study notable examples from published writing to understand why certain descriptions work. This course is for writers of all levels who want to sharpen their descriptive powers and bring greater energy and depth to their work. No formal creative writing background is required; to be successful, you should have an interest in creative writing and a willingness to experiment with language. You’ll leave with practical tools for creating richly described, immersive scenes in stories of any form or length.