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Post by whdean on Feb 12, 2014 22:43:34 GMT -5
Here’s how far we got before the Great Crash:
Literary allusion
Historical/symbolic allusion
Food
Drinks
Humour
I decided to add a few more:
Architecture. I always enjoy a little architectural detail. It adds depth.
Furniture. Why not a bow-back Windsor here or there? A Chippendale armoire?
Plant/tree/flower. You need to mention at least one bit of foliage. Mind you, the end references to “creepers/pushing through the creepers,” etc., in Lord of the Flies annoyed me.
Animal. Dogs or cats can't hurt. I love a good horse mention, however.
ETA (per Becca):
Birds (or dinosaurs). Keep the various symbolic associations in mind. Sparrows and death, birds of prey and power, etc.
ETA (Suzy):
Spiritual element
Romance
Vikings
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Post by Becca Mills on Feb 12, 2014 23:17:14 GMT -5
Dinosaurs. You have to have dinosaurs. (Birds count, of course.)
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Post by whdean on Feb 12, 2014 23:25:34 GMT -5
Dinosaurs. You have to have dinosaurs. (Birds count, of course.) I added the change. Good idea. |
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Post by Suzy on Feb 13, 2014 3:36:30 GMT -5
You forgot a spiritual element. The MC has to have some kind of belief or spiritual life/feelings.
Then: love
Some kind of sexual tension (except if it's about a hermit).
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Post by Pru Freda on Feb 13, 2014 5:07:32 GMT -5
There's an Aubusson carpet in my new release. Does that count?  |
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Post by Suzy on Feb 13, 2014 5:08:47 GMT -5
There's an Aubusson carpet in my new release. Does that count? How could it not? |
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Post by Becca Mills on Feb 13, 2014 12:18:26 GMT -5
Some kind of sexual tension (except if it's about a hermit). Or rabbits. |
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Post by whdean on Feb 13, 2014 21:15:25 GMT -5
There's an Aubusson carpet in my new release. Does that count? I don't know what that is, but yes. I think you need these small details spread throughout. |
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Post by whdean on Feb 13, 2014 21:15:53 GMT -5
You forgot a spiritual element. The MC has to have some kind of belief or spiritual life/feelings. Then: love Some kind of sexual tension (except if it's about a hermit). UPDATED. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2014 21:23:18 GMT -5
Trebuchets. I vote trebuchets.
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Post by Pru Freda on Feb 14, 2014 1:47:20 GMT -5
Trebuchets? Ah, that brings back happy memories.
I was a Guide (Girl Scout) leader for 18 years until ill health forced me to retire. We had a Romans themed camp one year, and I got them making trebuchets out of bamboo garden canes and rubber bands. Great fun having them launch water bombs at the opposing side.
Sorry - thread de-rail.
Have we mentioned hooks, yet? Gotta have those all-important hooks.
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Post by Daniel on Feb 14, 2014 8:43:55 GMT -5
Alistair MacLean used a device in several of his books that I used to love. He frequently had "the character who is not what he/she seems." I think "Breakheart Pass" had one of those. It's where the guy who seems to be the bad guy turns out to be the good guy and/or vice versa.
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Post by Suzy on Feb 14, 2014 8:46:12 GMT -5
You forgot a spiritual element. The MC has to have some kind of belief or spiritual life/feelings. Then: love Some kind of sexual tension (except if it's about a hermit). UPDATED. Vikings? Yes! Very important! |
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Post by whdean on Feb 14, 2014 15:08:48 GMT -5
I was only half-joking about Vikings. I do believe that a list like this is useful. Rhetoricians have long known that detail—even made-up detail—adds realism to a story. Psychologists have even experimentally confirmed that people will believe the story with more detail over the one with less. So a writer could put some mention of Vikings in every book—like a signature.
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Post by Suzy on Feb 14, 2014 15:31:48 GMT -5
It's a great idea to have a list like that. I don't have Vikings in each one of my stories but I might add them in.  |
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Post by vrabinec on Feb 14, 2014 15:38:55 GMT -5
Alistair MacLean used a device in several of his books that I used to love. He frequently had "the character who is not what he/she seems." I think "Breakheart Pass" had one of those. It's where the guy who seems to be the bad guy turns out to be the good guy and/or vice versa. He had books were NOBODY was who they seemed. Where Eagles Dare comes to mind. Even in Guns of Navarone, it was hard to tell who to trust. Makes for great tension. |
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Post by Daniel on Feb 14, 2014 16:07:13 GMT -5
Alistair MacLean used a device in several of his books that I used to love. He frequently had "the character who is not what he/she seems." I think "Breakheart Pass" had one of those. It's where the guy who seems to be the bad guy turns out to be the good guy and/or vice versa. He had books were NOBODY was who they seemed. Where Eagles Dare comes to mind. Even in Guns of Navarone, it was hard to tell who to trust. Makes for great tension. Yep. That's probably why so many of his books were turned into movies. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Feb 14, 2014 18:00:10 GMT -5
Alistair MacLean used a device in several of his books that I used to love. He frequently had "the character who is not what he/she seems." I think "Breakheart Pass" had one of those. It's where the guy who seems to be the bad guy turns out to be the good guy and/or vice versa. He had books were NOBODY was who they seemed. Where Eagles Dare comes to mind. Even in Guns of Navarone, it was hard to tell who to trust. Makes for great tension. [/quote I've been working on this sort of thing in a small way in the WIP. Lemme tell you, it's way harder than I thought it would be. It's easy to go from "I don't want readers to know what this person is really like" to "I actually don't know what this person is really like myself," and that is fatal. I have newly heightened admiration for writers who can pull this off in a big way! |
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Post by Daniel on Feb 14, 2014 19:11:44 GMT -5
I've been working on this sort of thing in a small way in the WIP. Lemme tell you, it's way harder than I thought it would be. It's easy to go from "I don't want readers to know what this person is really like" to "I actually don't know what this person is really like myself," and that is fatal. I have newly heightened admiration for writers who can pull this off in a big way! I get that. I have a similar problem with plot twists. There's a fine line between foreshadowing and giving something away so the story becomes "predictable." |
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