I woke up this morning to a memory. Twenty years ago, I met my husband’s family for the first time. They’re an…exuberant bunch. Loud, with lots of love to go around. Right now, there are about eight of them sitting around the kitchen table, playing Challenge Suduko. We have a total of about 40 immediate family milling around the house. I’m hiding in the bedroom…much like I did twenty years ago. It’s sensory overload. Love overload. *grin*. But I’m glad to be here, and even more glad that I didn’t have to get up at 5am to put in the turkey! Your assignment for the day: Enjoy. Let go of your manuscript for the day and take in the senses and sounds of the holiday. If you want to…write those […]
Read the RestArchive | November, 2007
Self Therapy: Setting
Going off of Susie’s great post on making a scene pop, let’s talk about setting. Setting is multi-dimensional. Not just a location like a city, home or office, but the actual anchor of a scene. Many times we can’t get into our scenes or draw in readers because we haven’t set the stage. How can setting deepen your characters, a scene, and ultimately the story? While writing Lost In NashVegas, I tried to avoid diving into the personality of the city. I wanted to write about a songwriter without understanding the city in which songwriters are made. How could I have my heroine, Robin, try to make it in Nashville without singing at the Bluebird Cafe, or stopping by the ASCAP offices for a Pro appointment? Not only did I […]
Read the RestDoctor’s Notes: Make that Scene Pop!
What makes a great scene stand out? Is it dialogue? Action? How about setting? All those components create a great scene, but I believe the one element that makes a scene live for ever is the symbolism that evokes emotion and truth. Maybe it’s a dialogue zinger, or through a meaningful action. Or even a metaphor in the setting, but all these elements are just tools writers use to create symbolism. What am talking about? There’s a great scene in the recent Sandra Bullock movie, Premonition, where the heroine is told the fate of her husband. We don’t even hear the policeman talk, really. What we see is what Sandra sees as she is told – a woman pushing her child in a stroller, a man mowing the lawn, a […]
Read the RestAsk the Doc: Creating Meaningful Action
Q: You talk about meaningful action behind dialogue. How do I get my story to flow? Dialogue comes naturally for me. But how do I make meaningful action seem natural? The Doc says: Every day my husband comes home from work and we sit in the kitchen and talk. During that time, I clean the sink, I chop vegetables, I check over homework, maybe feed the dog, sometimes he’ll set the table. Our conversation, behind the words, is about family, and life. You can tell that I care about family by my actions. Likewise, your characters will have things that are important to them, meaningful actions that define who they are and what is important to them. These are the things happening behind the words. Ask: What is a part […]
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