Are You Writing Serious Fantasy?

[Eol]

It is fine that you use elements such as dwarves or elves, however you must be truthful to yourself. What are you trying to achieve? Do you want the stereptype? Or do you want to make it unique to your own story? If you desire unique, changing names in refernce to races helps. Tolkien made this mistake. He wanted his stuff to be different, such as his elves and dwarves. Unforutnatly, he did not see that using elf or dwarf would conjure an image that cannot be shaken whether you state that your elves had blue hair or a lifespand of that of his non-elven races. This will stop once you can call them something else other then elf or dwarf.

As to description, perhaps you should look at it as a tool, a brush. What do you want the reader to understand, to see or feel? Description is unlimited if you want to set a mood or setting up for the next scene where there will be action and detail would slow the pace of the writing. Use it wisely and freely.