Idea and Example

I find that the most effective style of writing is to give an idea, then follow it with an example. If I were to write about being angry, I would write something like, "After the fight, I was livid. I snatched my grandmother's vase and shattered it against the wall."

The great issue I take with many writers is relying too heavily on either of those techniques. When you spend a whole page talking about a feeling, the audience has nothing to grab onto. Nothing is tangible or concrete, so there is no connection, outside of a vague idea you're portraying. Conversely, if you spend a whole page describing the physical characteristics of a person, but never outright say how he feels or anything like that, I am left guessing at his thoughts and intentions. I may get it right, but I can never be sure, which is frustrating.

Taking the middle ground seems the best approach here. I find that the idea coming first is the best way to combine the two. When you give the idea first, it primes the reader's mind for how they should be approaching and understanding a situation. That way, when the actual scene comes in directly after the idea, the audience now fully understands what the idea was preparing them for.