Write for truth, not for effect -- it's a cardinal rule. I read a phrase in someone's blog: water remembers you, and it struck such a hollow note, largely (I think) because it is inaccurate. Of all the elements, it seems to me that water is the least capable of remembering, because it's freeflowing and ever-changing. Stone could conceivably retain an impression (I'm talking metaphorically here, of course) and fire could scorch something into your memory, but water? Even with artistic license, it's too great a leap for me to take. and because it isn't accurate or plausible, it leaves me with the unavoidable impression that it's been written purely for effect, which immediately debases its value. It's a kind of narcissism, and therefore to be avoided.
The best description springs from close observation, worked upon by imagination and intuition. Your goal when writing should be emotional and linguistic truth; by comparison, anything else is a kind of counterfeit, and who wants that?
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