Writing Information
| |
Writing Information |
|
|
|
|
Writing with a Sense of Adventure
We've all been told that we need to use all five senses to bring our fiction to life. Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch all need to be invoked. But there's one other sense that also needs to be used: the sense of adventure. Just bringing your work to life is not enough. Accountants and insurance salesmen are alive, but how many people want to cozy up to them and talk shop for hours at a time? Writing with a sense of adventure will give your work an added spark of excitement that will make people rush to lose themselves in your pages for the hours it takes to finish the book. So, how does one write with a sense of adventure? Webster's defines "adventure" as: Check out definition #3. How many of us write "safe" books because we think they'll be easier to sell? But even if you know in advance every element that you'll use in a book -- say, if you're writing The Amnesiac Cowboy's Secret Baby -- you can write about those elements with a sense of adventure. The way to do that is by utilizing definition #2. Turn everything, no matter how prosaic, into an exciting and remarkable experience by using telling details. Turn your descriptions into wild safaris to bring back the perfect image of something, seen "in the wild" in a way the reader doesn't expect. For example, in my book, DARK SALVATION, Rebecca, the reporter, sneaks into one of the abandoned labs during her tour of the secret research facility. She has only a moment to look around before the lights go out, but in that time she sees: A rough wooden table with brightly painted drawers filled the center of the tiny room. Narrow counters and desk spaces ran around the walls, with shrouded laboratory equipment stored neatly for their next use. What caught her eye? The fact that in this industrial research complex, where everything is white and gray, the drawers of the table are painted in bright colors. Are they color-coded? Are the scientists allowed more freedom than expected? Or is it, as she suspects, a prop, purchased from someplace that no longer needed it, and never used? The same with the lab equipment. It's covered up, so how can she be sure of what it really is? A short time later, she enters one of the labs that is in use: A young man in a wrinkled white lab coat sat at the counter, hunched over a microscope that was far more complex than the simple magnifiers she remembered from high school biology. A scattering of Twinkie wrappers surrounded him, perfuming the room with the odor of preserved sugar. It was sickeningly sweet, but a welcome change from the antiseptic air of the hallways. He must have heard the buzzing of the scanner, because he lifted one hand and made vague shushing motions at the door. What catches her attention now? First, she's checking the new facts against the old -- the cover is off and she can see what the machinery really is. But what's it really being used for? And, she notices the smell, as well as that it's covering up another smell/taste. What else is being covered up? See how the descriptions are short, but full of telling details that give a sense of adventure? And, just to get back to the other five senses, see how they're worked in? (At least, sight, sound, smell and taste are. Touch is sort of implied in the "rough" table) Last, let's look at definition #1. How can writing involve danger and unknown risks? One way is to use techniques you've never used before. For example, write a book using a single point of view. The other way, which is actually more dangerous and risky, is to plumb deeper within yourself for the emotion that makes it to the page. Don't just write a scene -- live it. Feel not only what happens and how that affects the characters, but what it means. Then, (#1b) encounter those risks, don't avoid them. When you get to the hard parts, when you're tempted to take the easy out and find the simple resolution, push through and go for the solution that feels like it's tearing your soul out. Your triumph will show on the page, and the readers will feel it. A three-time EPPIE winner (for best Fantasy, best Science Fiction, and best Anthology) and multiple finalist for the Pearl, Sapphire and PRISM awards, as well as a host of other awards, Jennifer Dunne is the author of over a dozen novels and novellas, most for erotic romance publisher Ellora's Cave and their new imprint for other genres, Cerridwen Press. Known for her "Hot, Heartwarming Fiction," she writes deeply sensual character-driven stories that incorporate aspects of the unusual -- ranging from "cute bondage" to magic and mythical entities -- with an upbeat, optimistic tone. When not writing or working at her day job, she can be found on stage performing in community theatre musicals, or indulging her addiction to board games. Visit her at http://www.jenniferdunne.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Sick of the Traditional Publishing Path? A book coaching client recently emailed me that she was getting sick of traditional publishing because of so many costly requirements and so little payoff. Do you feel the same way?Fifteen years ago, I worked hard on a 60-page proposal for a top agent and after a year got "approval" to be his client. 3 Quick Tips on Plotting Your Book Plotting a book can seem an overwhelming task when you're just starting out, but it does get easier when you understand various plotting strategies.Here are 3 quick tips that could be all you need to get you started: One: You'll find it useful to analyse published books. Suspense Novels Made Easy Suspense novels are probably the easiest novels to write. Suspense novels require a simple formula, which will make your work truly suspenseful. Sense of Place What is Sense of Place? It's the image of a scene's environment evoked by the writing. The author becomes an artist; the book page is the canvas, sentences and phrasing are the brushes; words give color. Uncommon Advice for Beginning Novelists 1) Convince yourself you want to do something else. If you don't succeed, proceed to number 2. Writing For The Web: Where To Get Article Ideas A friend and I were talking the other day about writing. He liked to write, but even so his biggest problem was finding things to write about. Hero's Journey - The First Threshold Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's Journey.The Hero's Journey is the most usable story structure consisting of at least 106 stages and the template for successful contemporary stories, from Star Wars to Al Pacino Scarface to The Incredibles to War of the Worlds to The Dirty Dozen to Midnight Cowboy. Top 10 Common English Goofs by Web Authors In reviewing and browsing web sites over the years, I have compiled a list of the most common misuses of English by web authors. Here they are in Letterman (reverse) order. Write SMART: How to Create Terrific Writing Goals - And Achieve Them! Open up your favorite calendar and circle today's date.Why? Because no matter what day it is, you've been given a wonderful gift: a bright and shiny year ahead to make your writing dreams come true. Getting Looked Over, Without Getting Overlooked: Writing for Scanners and Skimmers * Scanning and Skimming Practices *Whether you're writing e-mail messages or Web site sales letters, you need to know how to hold the attention of different types of readers. Even the readers that don't actually "read. Top Ten Ways to Write a Book That Sells Is there a book inside of you? Yes? Then why don't you write it? Or, if you've already written a book, wouldn't you like to sell more? So many of you have a great idea for a book, even a dynamite title, but much more is needed to write a book that sells. Here's the top ten ways to write a book that sells: 1. Ten Tips to Help You Finish Writing Your Novel 1. Set aside a time to write and keep it sacred. How to Have an Effective Reading Group Writing leads to reading. Therefore, it's only fair to supply my readers with sufficient information on creating an effective reading group, since the last article was based on writing groups. Conflict - How To Keep Your Readers Turning Pages Some writers are just too kind.They hate to put their characters under any kind of pressure. Time-Saving Skills to Get More from Your Writing As you set out to create your first niche non-fiction book (and hopefully your first bestseller), you will be supported by a strong motivation to keep your mind focused on the essential business at hand i.e. Good Writing Good writing is like sex. Two people are involved - the writer and the reader. Gut Check: Quitting Your Full-time Job for Your Freelance Career It's 6:00 p.m. Making Better Word Choices - 4 Examples Choosing the wrong words can have a poor effect on your writing and on you. Whether you are writing a cover letter for a job, a business proposal, or an application essay for graduate school, using words poorly can result in negative feedback. Memories Dont Fade Like Hair Does: Memoir Writing Help for You, Our Elders, to Tell Your Story ~~~Old age, to the unlearned, is winter; to the learned, it's harvest time. ~ Yiddish saying~~~You can tell your life story by biography, which is a whole book that starts from the start and ends at (or near) the end. Writers Block - Melting the Ice What does one do as a writer who loves writing and feels empty of creativity?When the writing process stops, there is the experience of fear. There is a sense that something precious has been lost.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2007 www.Info-StoreHouse.com |
