When to Emphasize Descriptions in Your Writing

"Komatsu raised the hand that had a cigarette tucked between the fingers. 'Think of it this way, Tengo. Your readers have seen the sky with one moon in it any number of times, right? But I doubt they've seen a sky with two moons in it side by side. When you introduce things that most readers have NEVER seen before into a piece of fiction, you have to describe them with as much precision and in as much detail as possible. What you can eliminate from fiction is the description of things that most readers have seen.'
'I get it,' Tengo said. Komatsu's request made a lot of sense. 'I'll fill out the part where the two moons appear.'"
- 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

Eric Charping is a poet and scholar of the craft of writing. When asked for advice that writers should consider, this quote was all he said. GREAT advice, Eric Charping.

Source: http://www.whenlightningstrikestheocean.tumblr.com/