Being a scriptwriter allowed me to get by without going into a lot of description but now that I'm also writing prose I need to get better at it. Here's a method I'm finding helpful:
1. Figure out which of your senses you tend to favor.
For me, it's visual. That's why in prose most of my descriptions are about what things look like.
You may find that sound predominates--that is, you tend to focus on what people are saying as well as the tone of their voice and how loudly or quietly they speak. You will also be very aware of music and of the background sounds associated with a setting.
Less common is a tendency to be most aware of smells. People who are especially sensitive to smell may be affected by people wearing very strong perfume or cologne. It may also affect their perception of how certain foods taste.
Finally, some people are most tuned in to how things feel--in terms of their texture, weight, and so forth. Again, this may affect how they feel about certain foods as well. Also, they may choose certain items like mobile phones not only by their functions and how they look but also how they feel in your hand.
Another sensitivity some people have is to the moods and emotions of other people. They may perceive these through all of the above senses. Being unusually empathetic is useful for a writer but it can also be stressful. If you genuinely do feel other people's pain, you'll be in pain quite a lot of the time!
2. The next time you go to a place you've not visited before, pick one of your less dominant senses and think about how you would describe that place in terms of that sense.
For instance, when I go to a street market I tend to notice people's faces, the colors of the things for sale, details of how the stalls look, and so forth. Therefore I might make it my assignment to pay more attention to the smells of the food at the food stalls, the spices or vegetables, the perfumes or colognes of the people there, and so forth.
Focusing on the sounds would sensitize you on the sales pitches of the various stall holders, the comments of the other people shopping there, the background noises, any music, etc.
If you pay attention to how things feel you could consider the textures of the vegetables and the fabrics and other items for sale.
If it's more the emotions you want to make the center of your attention you'd think about what moods or emotions people seem to be experiencing and how those are reflected in their appearance, their body language, their actions, what they say and how they say it, and even how they dress.
3. Take a few minutes later to write a description using the sense you were emphasizing.
At first getting better at attending to a particular sense will take conscious effort but after a while you may find you're noticing more of these details without trying and that it enriches your writing and also your appreciation of your day to day experiences.
(If you want helpful tips on how to write, get a copy of my book, Your Writing Coach. It's published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller.)
