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Usually, what I do is I try to imagine a scene in my mind and I write down a rough outline of just the dialog. Once I figured out what is being said, I make another pass through the story and try to add their basic mannerisms like do they yell or stutter, scoff or whisper the dialog. As I'm doing this, other things come out because I think how would that person react to being yelled at or whatever. I put in the key things about the environment that help set the mood in the reader's viewpoint. Then I read it again and if any of this affects the characters, I add that in. You have to include all the elements of what's going on. If I want to foreshadow something, then usually I wait until last to try to find the best place to place it where it isn't too obvious.
If at all possible, I try very much to avoid too many scenes where there is too much description like hours of silence. You use everything to control the rhythmic of your story. Stories have to have people doing things, or they won't hold a reader's attention for long. Keep the exposition to a minimum and show us what your characters are doing rather than telling us. Paint the picture with words.