Details matter.
Including specific descriptions helps our readers to form images in their minds as they read. In realistic writing, details ground and center the narrative. In fantasy or horror or science fiction, clear description allows readers to understand your built world and imagine locations and characters fully. as you intend.
A good Jewish boy coming home to eat the lunch his mother has lovingly prepared — a ham sandwich — is a careless detail that indicates personal preference rather than character logic.
A Philippine character who always smells of Safeguard soap is a perceptive detail, one that demonstrates clear understanding of the culture and the most widely available brands in local stores.
A Washington, DC character ordering and eating a dozen cupcakes from Baked & Wired without vomiting or hospitalization is a detail that demonstrates the writer Googled bakeries in Georgetown without any concept of the gargantuan size of said cupcakes. Basically, they are cakes in a cup, each easily shared with four people.
Look at your details. Are they serving your writing?
