Writers continually take in the world around them, cataloging sights, sounds, smells, and other sensations. They observe their environment with deep curiosity and awe, recording the minutiae of the unique scenes that unfold around them every day. Writers’ observations of conversations between lovers, a mother scolding her child, or a man walking alone at night can become the building blocks of a great story. But it’s easy for us as writers to overextend our power of observation as we write. Before we know it, we are stuffing each sentence and paragraph to the seams with moment-by-moment synopses, doggedly reporting every…