In the story I'm writing, I go into a fair amount of details about how things look and feel when it comes to the environment, I'm trying to portray a sense of wonder from the MC at what he sees. 
But at what point does it become too much? 

Is saying that it is a medieval style 4 story building with a heavy wooden door flanked by 2 lamps descriptive enough for that kind of thing? Or is it better to do it more like this:

The doorway had a solid looking timbered frame. Hooded metal oil lamps hung on the wall flanking both sides of the door. giving a distinct feeling of being in olden times.
The steps in front of the heavy looking double doors were large single stone slabs, one stacked on top of the other. Rising the door 2 steps above the ground.

(this is a small excerpt from a coming chapter in my story, and not finalized yet).

So what is your thoughts on this kind of storytelling mechanic.
Is it in the way of telling the story?, or is it key in giving the reader a feeling of it being a real place in a real world?.
I'm also very interested in what you guys prefer to do yourself. 
Pro's, con's. I'm truly interested in both sides of the coin.

Cheers.

Instead of telling your readers the surroundings, why not show it? To do this, simply give everything an action. Even better, also describe it in the way (and in the order) your perspective character perceives it. (Cause the order in which you described it is... off, haha... door frame, lamps, walls, ceiling, door, steps?) What does he notice first, second, third and so on...

(((I was going to try and reword it, but it's really hard to not knowing Toby's reaction and where he entered from.)))

It's from a draft, so it's full off stupid holes like that. Thankfully I have a pair of chapters to release before the starry eyed chin on the ground chapter. I think some of it might be superfluous. I mean. With all that stuff on the facade to gawk at, who would notice the stone slabs acting as steps right? I can also leave some details for later, like when the character comes back to the building later on and has to pass back trough the door, that is when you would normally notice the heavy cast iron rungs used as handles, and the stone steps. (Especially if the mc is potentially drunk. not decided on that yet).
When he turnes back to face forward again, there is something even better to see. something that makes him forget all about the facade of the building anyway.
All in all, in that chapter, in order to progress the story at all, I have to give first impressions of at least 3 rather striking structures, and the general area. I could drop the local inn, but I'd prefer to not gloss over it too much too. the MC is invested in getting some of that heavenly golden brew they sell. I have to put in the towns coat of arms as well, another heavy visual description.
The chapter is also meant to give the reader a rough idea of the layout of a very small RPG style town, as well as making it clear trough actions and not telling what some of those places are for. The plan is to spend 3 chapters in it doing various stuff related to getting set up for a bigger task with the town as a resting place between jobs, and since it will be revisited so many times, I wan't the reader to get to know it in some detail, so that later on when I say that the crew meets up at the golden brew inn, they know where it is, and how the sign on the door looks without saying more than:
Toby pushed open the dark oaken door beneath the familiar and welcome sign of the Golden brew inn. It's symbol a promise of great pleasures gotten from the inn's barrels of first grade Ale. Ale worthy etc etc etc.
The goal is to tap into the readers imagination to get the images flowing trough their minds.

Personally, I like when there are details, it can truly add an atmosphere to a room or a situation, in a more elegant way than just "the room made me feel anxious" or something alike. And sometimes it's worth it to pause the pace a bit to make sure the reader understand the atmosphere.
However, if it's just describing for the sake of it, it can quickly become a burden and slow the plot too much.

As for myself, I'm not really good at it, so I let the reader some room for imagination, and try to use actions and feelings instead of flat description.
Anyway, good luck, it's not an easy issue (^.^)

Details can certainly add a depth, worldbuilding and increase audience immersion, however I'd caution you against spending too much time setting the scene for every new local. Use it to describe very important places only. Somewhere where several scenes are going to take place, not just one. If you try to add so many details to every physical place in your story the actual dialog and character interactions can feel truncated by proximity. So like all other tools in writing, it is best used in moderation.

I know that I notice when there isn't enough detail. It gives the writing a vaguely amateurish feeling but if the plot is good I'll still read it.

I've found myself surpised at how little detail it takes to get someone to see what you need them to see to move the story forward. I remember reading through a few chapters of the first Game of Thrones and how little G.R.R.M. describes the scenery in Daenery's first appearance but somehow you never feel lost.

Sometimes describing the clothes that people are wearing in the street gives you a better feel for the city than describing the architecture. Other times you spend a chapter describing more of how the building makes the character feel and how it reminds him of another building that had a far warmer, lived in feeling to it.

If you have the time pick up your favorite book and just flip through the scene descriptions. See how quickly it takes the author to see what they need you to see in order for you to undetstand the space the character is moving through.

Looking at your description, the only thing I'd say is that the only reason I'd put so much work into describing the windows is if the main character was going to crash through them, but that's just me.

I'm getting a lot of good thoughts here, And I've already adjusted my draft quite a bit to make use of the tips I've gotten from you guys.
The windows are indeed irrelevant, and needs to disappear from the narrative. and I've moved some stuff indoors to be at the end of the last chapter instead. since that one was a bit dull.
Lots of great things spotted here.

One way to approach it is to ask "what's really important?"

If you spend paragraphs describing a door or something, then that door should be very very important. Your readers will be put off if you lovingly describe irrelevant items.

Even if it's a sense of wonder, unless your character is an expert, how would they know all of the loving details? How would your readers know? I personally had no idea what a "Toby" is so that line was wasted on me.

I like the suggestion above about some kind of action showing off the features. Maybe a character lovingly picking out and explaining details and points of interest to another character?

Just some random thoughts for you.

One thing I like to do is invest objects with properties they couldn't possess.

'the wound wept brown pus' <- Wounds can't weep
'a humble graveyard' <- graveyards can't possess humility
'the cold, angry wind tossed snow in her eyes and tried to shove her down' <- wind can't be angry nor does it try to do anything

The human mind is a giant spaghetti bowel of associations and impressions. What a humble graveyard looks like will differ from reader to reader, but their brain will always conjure up some image.

Level of detail depends on pacing. If I want fast pacing, less detail. If I want slow pacing, more detail.

Tchaikovsky's 6th is about an hour long. The first two minutes are slow and somber, but at about 2:10, things pick up. That transition from slow and sonorous to light and quick is intensely satisfying to my ears. If it were only one speed with the deeper instruments always dominant, it would be a boring piece and no one would want to spend an hour just sitting there listening to it.

Writing is much the same. For the chapter I'm working on now, I've started it by describing in detail the flavor of a magical potion the MC drinks, how it feels as it enters her blood stream, and how her vision changes under it's effects. There's no action or danger or tension in the scene. But, I believe the answer to 'what's it like when you drink a potion that lets you see auras?' is something the readers will appreciate spending time with.

Later, when the MC is using aura sight as part of their actions, those actions will have more weight as they're tied to something the reader knows is tangible as opposed to an abstract [aura sight] power.

'tjtf' pid='830142' dateline='1511045963' Wrote: I personally had no idea what a "Toby" is so that line was wasted on me.

Poor Toby.... He is probably crying a bit in his virtual bed now.

Jokes aside. yeah. that chapter was a wreck. After all the hint's I've gotten so far, I've sent in the butcher from diablo, and it's now a lot less stuff in the chapter. I even figured out that some explanations were self explanatory, and thus redundant. 
Their house has been toned down a lot for instance, and some features were seen from inside rather than outside, since you kinda do go from inside to the outside. that door is a chapter change tho, so it took some finagling on the chapter before it to figure it out properly. one of my 3 important locations is now in the building, and is described in rough detail because it was dark when they passed trough. saving details for later when they come back. Both chapters benefited I think. the one before got to add something nice to replace some clunky explanations that tbh, weren't all that important, and that could probably be inferred without anything being said, as well as giving a more natural reason for another piece of info without resorting to a tonne of dialoge.

I think I've been a bit too focused on making my chapters approach 2k words per, even when doing so would either create an infodump, or a detail glut.

---

---

'SJ Reaver' pid='830143' dateline='1511045987' Wrote: One thing I like to do is invest objects with properties they couldn't possess.

I sometimes likes to do that too, But I'm using it sparingly. It can be a great way to quickly set the mood for the setting tho.
I'm also going to try to liken architecture to the emotions people can feel when inside buildings of that purpose.
I think this will work great for a government building dedicated to paperwork for instance.

the imposing structure looked like a temple dedicated to forms and regulations. woe be the one who has forgotten to dot his i's and cross his t's. for he shall forever listlessly wander it's halls from room to room begging for forgiveness.


^^sums up how I feel about bureaucratic procedures.... insert your own flavour of public office here.

Personally I like deep works when even unnecessary things are described. Think of HxH.
That said, there are moments when i think it's taken too far, like when in GoT the author describes like each of fifty dishes in lavish details.

'Reya Dawnbringer' pid='830159' dateline='1511104618' Wrote: Personally I like deep works when even unnecessary things are described. Think of HxH.
That said, there are moments when i think it's taken too far, like when in GoT the author describes like each of fifty dishes in lavish details.

I can imagine 10k words worth of synonyms for how stuff taste.
It's like those Isekai novels where the author dedicates an entire major arc just for writing about food.
It's made worse, because despite being a teen, who hardly know what a frying pan is used for. They suddenly become incredible gourmand chef's making earth food with stuff they find just floating around on an alien world.

Personally, I believe that there should be a balance; too little description does not allow the reader to see and feel the environment but too long descriptions can bore the reader and stall the plot. So, you should be detailed enough for the reader to imagine the environment but not long winded because you will bore your reader.