Tag Archives: setting
The Mind’s Eye: Part 5 of Writing with Sensory Details – Sandi Somers
I had read the book Pride and Prejudice, noting that the author, Jane Austen, didn’t give many visual cues as to clothing, body language or even where the scene was located. Instead, she focused more on dialogue. The movie, in contrast, contained a lot of visual cues, showing the Bennet family home, the family at… Read more »
Fiction Writing 101 – Part Six – Setting (or giving your character a leg to stand on) — Janice Dick
A smile formed on Callie’s face at the sight of Tom. It had been so long. “Welcome by to the land of the living,” she said. “It’s good to be back. What have you been doing in my absence? I hope you managed to keep out of trouble.” “Of course, what do you think?” She… Read more »
The Basic Elements of Fiction — Janice Dick
When I present a talk on novel writing, I often ask the audience for their input on the basic elements of fiction, and they come up with several immediately: plot, setting and character. Let’s begin with these. Plot, according to James Scott Bell in his excellent how-to book Plot & Structure, is: “1) a small… Read more »
Adding Texture to your Writing — Sandi Somers
It has been said you write your first draft for yourself, and the second for your readers. This was vividly brought home to me as I was writing about Calgary’s recent flood for an online course. My first essay focused on my experiences during the critical first day as I visited sites, watched raging floodwaters,… Read more »
5 Reasons you should create your own writer’s notebook — Ruth L. Snyder
Every writer should have a notebook that goes everywhere with them and is used every day. Why? Here are my top five reasons: 1. To keep track of possible topics for stories or articles – Ideas come to writers at the strangest times and places. You could be sleeping, or walking down the sidewalk, or… Read more »
Write using your 5 senses — Ruth L. Snyder
A phrase we hear often as writers is “Show, don’t tell.” One way we can do this more effectively is to include descriptions using all five senses. “Sensory words paint vivid pictures that relate to the five senses: sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. In fiction, non-fiction and poetry, they serve as a type of shorthand… Read more »