One of the best creative writing tips I ever received, from a source now long-forgotten, was "every scene you write should do at least two things".
For completely understandable reasons, many beginning writers create scenes that fulfill a single purpose: "this shows how powerful X is" or "this shows how much A loves B". And sometimes writing towards one powerful direct point is the best and most direct way of accomplishing your goals. But a scene also often provides opportunities to be both more efficient and descriptive by weaving in other aspects of the story. For example, I'd like to think that, however inexpertly, the river crossing scene in today's chapter of Longshot accomplishes several things at once:
1. It shows the development of Askr's children, illustrates his relationship with them, and demonstrates Ananya's growing interest in mathematics.
2. It fills in more the interior of Longshot, in particular the area around a biome that we've previously visited.
3. It offers a context for the small family witnessing the destruction and rebuilding of the central city later in the scene.
At the other extreme, it's entirely possible to overburden a scene by trying to make it accomplish too many things at the same time, leaving it confusing and lifeless. As with many things, the best balance usually lies somewhere in the middle.
In further notes, I've updated my SOL profile and today's chapter in response to reader feedback.
A final reminder: Longshot is a novel. Promises will probably be kept, but things will take time to develop. I trust that the story is worth the investment of your time, but it's not going to happen in a rush.