My particular scenario here is with a fight scene of sorts, in which I'm having trouble conjuring. But I guess it could apply to almost anything. So, in my scene I'm creating I have a few soldiers arresting a guy on a traffic stop. It's really quick and sloppy and I want it to seem that way. Now I realized after I had written it, that I lacked a good amount of details which therein made the scene feel cluttered in my mind. I made it happen really quick, so in the span of a page and a half, maybe 2 pages, this guy's car is pulled over, and he is ripped out and arrested. I feel like it should be quick and cluttered, given the situation, but I also don't want the reader to be like, "wtf is going on here?". You know, I want it to be clear enough to understand what is happening, but also quick and messy. I'm really wanting to know if my scene here should be more detailed just in case the reader may get confused when reading it, or, if I should leave it as-is for...I suppose the experience of feeling the confusion and shock of the character?
Keep detail that is relevant and important to driving the scene forward. Sometimes it helps to write a draft that includes all the detail that you want. That version is for you, not the reader. Once you have everything out of your head and on paper you can determine what actually makes it to the scene for the reader.
