Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.

Stephen King offers this advice in the craft-focused portions of his memoir/manual on writing, where he argues against overloading prose with exhaustive visual detail. Writing in the late 1990s after his recovery from addiction and before/around the period of his 1999 accident, King reflects on what makes narrative vivid and effective for readers. In discussing description, he emphasizes selecting a few telling details and trusting the audience to complete the picture. The remark encapsulates his broader pedagogical stance: clarity and specificity matter, but the writer should leave imaginative space so the reader becomes an active collaborator in creating the scene.

The line frames description as a shared act between author and reader. The writer initiates the image—choosing concrete, suggestive details—but the goal is not to render a total, photographic account. Instead, effective description prompts the reader’s own memories and sensory associations to “finish” the scene internally. King’s point also implies a discipline: too much description can smother narrative momentum and reduce the reader’s participation, while well-chosen details invite immersion. The quote thus champions economy, selectivity, and trust in the reader’s imaginative power as central to vivid storytelling.