|
|
Post by Suzy on Feb 28, 2014 15:54:58 GMT -5
The settings in my books are very important ingredients; the beautiful landscapes, the sights, sounds and smells of the surroundings. That's the most difficult part of writing, I find.
Today, I had the most incredible experience. My husband and I took a four hour hike up the mountains here in Kerry, on the Atlantic coast. First we, walked up some truly difficult paths, up to the snow-covered peaks, where we gazed down on the shimmering ocean. We were hit by high winds, snow flurries and hail. We managed to gulp down our sandwiches and hot tea in the shelter of a hawthorn hedge and then on we went, down the valley, across rough fields to the beach.
We walked against storm force winds on the edge of the ocean, where the waves crashed against the rocks in spectacular fashion. Whipped by the wind, we watched flocks of tiny Sandpipers dip and soar, turning their bodies this way and that in a graceful ballet, their underbellies flashes of silver in the brilliant sunshine against the backdrop of the turquoise sea and the bright blue skies. And the air... Like cold, crisp white wine...
That might be okay. But I need more. I need to describe the exhilaration I felt and the way it made my spirits soar.
|
|
|
|
Post by Becca Mills on Feb 28, 2014 17:37:13 GMT -5
That sounds beautiful. (But I can see why your legs and back are sore, now!)
Many of the places I need to describe are invented, and it's hard to get a nice, thick description. For instance, in Solatium I needed to describe a Venezuelan highland rainforest that had continued to develop from the Cretaceous to the present with the Chicxulub impact never having happened. But I've never been to a rainforest and (of course) never to the cretaceous, either. What does a rainforest smell like? What color is the soil? What does it sound like at night? Fortunately we have the internet, but it's still not easy to build something that sounds real.
|
|
|
|
Post by shawninmon on Feb 28, 2014 19:42:40 GMT -5
I so admire writers that can properly do description and make it interesting. The best I can usually manage is short stabs of description. I'm working on it, but everything I write feels spare to me. I naturally want to focus on emotions and always forget the surroundings until my editor reminds me.
|
|
|
|
Post by Becca Mills on Feb 28, 2014 20:16:54 GMT -5
I so admire writers that can properly do description and make it interesting. The best I can usually manage is short stabs of description. I'm working on it, but everything I write feels spare to me. I naturally want to focus on emotions and always forget the surroundings until my editor reminds me. That sounds way better than the reverse, Shawn! |
|
|
|
Post by Suzy on Mar 1, 2014 4:43:30 GMT -5
I so admire writers that can properly do description and make it interesting. The best I can usually manage is short stabs of description. I'm working on it, but everything I write feels spare to me. I naturally want to focus on emotions and always forget the surroundings until my editor reminds me. I think what I am after are the emotions. The scene description is hard but the emotions-much harder. |
|
|
|
Post by Daniel on Mar 1, 2014 9:21:51 GMT -5
I think adding the details later helps you select the ones that are most important. I've read that scene description should be about what the setting means to the POV character, not literally a description of the environment. You might enjoy this article about "scene layering," which addresses this subject... Scene Layering with an Example by Rebecca Zanetti |
|
|
|
Post by Suzy on Mar 1, 2014 9:23:22 GMT -5
Thank you, Daniel. will look at it. I'm sure it will be helpful.
|
|
|
|
Post by Suzy on Mar 1, 2014 9:36:01 GMT -5
Just read it. Brilliant and very helpful!
|
|
|
|
Post by The Scroggins! on Mar 1, 2014 9:37:01 GMT -5
My scenes mostly exist in made up fantasy worlds, so I try to picture everything as clearly as possible before writing about it. I like to close my eyes and imagine that I'm right there in the middle of everything. I look around to see how the leaves and branches are blowing in the wind, and I think about the sounds of birds and wildlife. I try to hear snippets of conversations taking place by people who are passing by where I'm standing, and I sniff the air to find out which flowers might be blooming. Finally, I take an imaginary look up at the sky to see how the clouds and sun are showing through. The one thing that I think helped me was discovering the era of American Romanticism in one of my college English classes. Specifically reading Philip Freneau, a Romantic who was way ahead of his time, opened my eyes to a new world of vivd imagery. It took me a while, but I realized that my style is very much a combination of American Romanticism and Gothic. The funny thing is that I avoided writing description for a long time. My last books were scarce in that department, and they suffered because of it. For some reason, I always thought I wasn't any good at it. I just needed the right influences and sources of inspiration.  |
|
|
|
Post by Suzy on Mar 1, 2014 9:47:46 GMT -5
Yes, the right influences and inspirations are essential. That's why reading is so important for a writer. And reading a lot of different genres and from different periods too. Contemporary novels can be short on scene setting.
|
|
|
|
Post by shawninmon on Mar 1, 2014 10:36:01 GMT -5
That was really helpful, Daniel, thank you for posting it. I woke up this morning knowing I have to spend the day "fleshing out" a few scenes of the book I just finished. I'll put some of this layering to work as I go. Thanks!
|
|
|
|
Post by Becca Mills on Mar 1, 2014 10:47:34 GMT -5
Wow, that layering technique is really interesting! I never would've thought of doing things that way.
|
|
|
|
Post by Becca Mills on Mar 1, 2014 10:48:44 GMT -5
The one thing that I think helped me was discovering the era of American Romanticism in one of my college English classes. Specifically reading Philip Freneau, a Romantic who was way ahead of his time, opened my eyes to a new world of vivd imagery. It took me a while, but I realized that my style is very much a combination of American Romanticism and Gothic. What an awesome realization!  |
|
|
|
Post by shawninmon on Mar 1, 2014 11:51:19 GMT -5
It took me a while, but I realized that my style is very much a combination of American Romanticism and Gothic. You're way ahead of me. I've discovered my style is a combination of too many 70s-era Mighty Avenger comic books and a strong desire to get this damn book published. |
|
|
|
Post by Daniel on Mar 1, 2014 12:52:00 GMT -5
My scenes mostly exist in made up fantasy worlds, so I try to picture everything as clearly as possible before writing about it. I like to close my eyes and imagine that I'm right there in the middle of everything. I look around to see how the leaves and branches are blowing in the wind, and I think about the sounds of birds and wildlife. I try to hear snippets of conversations taking place by people who are passing by where I'm standing, and I sniff the air to find out which flowers might be blooming. Finally, I take an imaginary look up at the sky to see how the clouds and sun are showing through. I do the same thing during my second draft. My first draft is all about getting the story out, so I only put in description that comes to me too strongly to leave out (if that makes any sense). On my second draft, the scene is already written, so it's an easy matter to close my eyes and visualize the entire thing. I observe the scene from the POV character and cycle through my senses as you described. When considering which elements should be added to the scene, I try to keep in mind that we don't sense everything about our surroundings, only the things that capture our attention. What captures our attention is influenced by our passions and motivations, which is why description can add to deep POV, or it can put distance between the character and the reader. Depending upon your goals, it's valid to go either way. I think it's important to make the choice deliberately, but then I'm known for over-thinking stuff. |
|
|
|
Post by vrabinec on Mar 1, 2014 16:00:03 GMT -5
The description already conveys the emotion in the word selection. Telling the reader what emotions you felt would be redundant for the most part. The only part of that whole passage that doesn't make it clear is how the character felt about the storm force winds. In that case, you can say something to the effect of it being a refreshing challenge to face them down, or something like that. But I already know how you felt about the birds and other stuff because you're using words like brilliant, graceful, and spectacular.
|
|
|
|
Post by Suzy on Mar 1, 2014 16:05:07 GMT -5
The description already conveys the emotion in the word selection. Telling the reader what emotions you felt would be redundant for the most part. The only part of that whole passage that doesn't make it clear is how the character felt about the storm force winds. In that case, you can say something to the effect of it being a refreshing challenge to face them down, or something like that. But I already know how you felt about the birds and other stuff because you're using words like brilliant, graceful, and spectacular. Thanks, Fred. That's interesting.I just wrote that bit without thinking, just fresh from my walk with all the images in my head. |
|
