When the Curtains Really Are Just Blue: The Balance Between Subtext and Simplicity in Writing
- Bair Klos
- Mar 4
- 4 min read
Updated: May 21
The Great Blue Debate™
Listen up, literary darlings. I have been called out. Dragged. Exposed. And honestly? I deserved it.
Recently, a friend read two of my more recent blog posts where I talked about being a purple writer and using the five senses in writing. In “4 Signs You Are a Purple Writer,” I had written in my first section:
“If your writing sessions involve spending thirty minutes hunting for the perfect synonym for ‘blue’ (I’m definitely not guilty of this… not me, def not me… *sips tea loudly*), you may be engaging in unnecessary verbal gymnastics. Simplicity isn’t a crime. Your readers will still get the picture if the sky is just… blue.”
So when he got to a section in “How To Show Not Tell Using The 5 Senses,” where I wrote:
“Don’t just say the sky was blue. What kind of blue? Was it a deep indigo, a washed-out gray-blue, or so blinding it felt like staring into a god’s eye?”
He naturally saw this contradiction and did what any loyal friend would do: he called me out. “But sometimes it’s just blue.”
And I, being a reasonable and mature adult, I barked an obnoxiously loud laugh in my date’s bathroom mid-period-pad swap, which was followed by dramatic sigh at the realization I had a new topic to write about (and a funny conversation starter for said date).
This isn’t just a him problem—it’s a question every writer wrestles with at some point in their writing career: When should I go full poetic immersion, and when should I just say “The sky was blue” and move on?
It’s a fine balance between vivid storytelling and drowning your reader in purple prose. So let’s fight—*ehem* BREAK IT DOWN.
To blue, or not to blue: That is the question.
Why Description Matters (& When It Doesn’t)
We’ve all read a book where the author spends an entire paragraph describing how the light hits the hero’s cheekbone just right, and suddenly you’re wondering why you’re trapped in a two-page dissertation on the emotional significance of a teacup.
On the flip side, we’ve also read books where everything is so blunt and dry that it feels like reading an instruction manual: She walked into the room. She sat down. She drank tea. The tea was hot. The end.
Neither extreme is ideal. Great writing exists in the middle ground. So when do we describe, and when do we keep it simple?
Describe When…
It Adds Mood or Emotion
If the color of the sky reflects the character’s emotions or the tone of the scene, describe it!
Example:
The sky was a dull, listless gray, heavy with the kind of weight that made you want to crawl back into bed and try again tomorrow.
It’s Important for the Story
If something about the sky being a deep, foreboding storm blue foreshadows the oncoming tempest that will trap your characters in a haunted mansion, then yes, go all in.
Example:
The sky bruised into a deep navy, streaked with the kind of purple that whispered of oncoming storms. The wind had already begun to shift.
It Reveals Something About the Character
Maybe a character notices details others don’t—it tells us who they are. A romantic might see the sky as a painting; a scientist might note its exact shade of cerulean.
Example:
She called it periwinkle. He called it 480 nanometers on the visible spectrum. Both of them were right, in their own way.
You Want to Set a Strong Sense of Place
When you need to immerse your reader in a new setting, details make it real. If your fantasy kingdom has a saffron-colored sky that glows like fire or an alien planet’s sky shifts from emerald to obsidian, tell us!
Keep It Simple When…
The Detail Doesn’t Matter
If the color of the sky has no relevance to mood, plot, or character? Just say it’s blue and move on.
You’re in a Fast-Paced Scene
Imagine your protagonist is running for their life. Now is NOT the time to describe the sky as “a wistful watercolor of blues and pinks, as if the gods themselves had taken up painting.” Just say the sun was setting and let them run. 🏃💨
It Feels Unnatural in Context
If you wouldn’t stop in the middle of a tense argument to note that the drapes are “a luxurious shade of emerald that reminded her of springtime in Tuscany”… then don’t make your character do it either.
Your Reader Gets the Picture
If you’ve already established the scene and the mood, there’s no need to overdo it. Trust your readers. They don’t need five different shades of blue to understand that the sky is, in fact, blue.
So, Is the Sky Blue or Not?
The trick is knowing when a description elevates the story and when it drags it down. So here's a good rule of thumb:
If it adds to mood, plot, or character insight—describe away!
If it’s just filler—cut it. Mercilessly.
And sometimes? Sometimes the sky is just blue. But if your character looks up and sees storm-tossed indigo skies, the color of distant thunder, maybe we’re in for something more.
Now, dear writers, go forth and describe wisely. And to my dear friend who inspired this post—don’t worry. Sometimes it really is just blue. 💙😉
What’s your take?
Have you ever struggled with description overload? Or do you love a little poetic flair in your writing? I, for one, certainly get carried away from time to time… All the time… Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
See you in the next blog,
—Bair✍︎
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