Preach it, sister!

Strunk & White say, "Write with nouns and verbs," then go on to explain that modifiers have their place, but far fewer of them will be needed if we build from a foundation of precision.

I still struggle with how much to describe about a character or a setting. It usually comes down to, do those characteristics affect the progress of the story, and are those details necessary for my reader to visualize the situation and the action.

Novice writers struggling to find their style are apt to write self-consciously. When I've given feedback in critique groups or on students' papers, I remind them that the story isn't about the writer, so they need to get out of its way.

As for Papa Hemingway, there are many worse guides through the literary landscape.