Forgive me if this has been discussed before or I've posted this in the wrong section. I wanted to get back into writing in 2023 and, disappointingly, I didn't get much of anything done but I want 2024 to be different so I thought I'd bring up one of my biggest hurdles. A lot of my writing experience has been in screenplay form and I want to get more into prose fiction, with all the self-publishing options out there I figured it was a more realistic and affordable path. The thing is screenplays are minimal, I know fiction requires more details and description, and I was good at descriptive writing when I was at school so I try to remember how I used to do it and bring some of it back into my writing, but whenever I try to write something it tends to be overdone. I've shown bits and pieces to friends and family and often get told I'm using too many adjectives. My question is: is there a difference between prose and descriptive writing, and what do you find helpful for finding a balance?
For cutting back on adjectives you can either add on another sentence or add a phrase to the existing one. Or just drop an adjective completely. Example—rather than 'I was pinned in the corner by the angry snarling dog' it could be 'I was pinned in the corner by the snarling dog,' or 'I was pinned in the corner by the snarling dog. It was really pissed off.'
No, prose just refers to regular writing that isn't in a lyrical or poetic metered form. How descriptive it is is up to you.
Too many adjectives can be a distraction. You want your reader immersed in the story - not paying more attention to the language than the meaning. And remember, you can rely to some extent on the imagination of your reader.
