Lost in Novel Land
Handout
Presented by Susan May Warren at
ACFW Conference 2008
N- News: Just the facts, ma’am.
Let’s start with the basics – the 5 W’s. Who, What, Where, Why, When. As the reader we need to know who is in the scene, where it is, when it is, what is going on around them, and a little about why they’re there.
O: Observations –What’s in your world?
5 senses: To really draw your storyworld you need to use the 5 senses to engage our emotions.
Sight, Smell, Sound, Touch Taste
V: Voices – How do you like yer yellers?
Building storyworld isn’t just about putting your character into the world, but moving your character through it. A static storyworld is boring. We need to see your character engage with it. And that means they need to interact. Which means dialogue.
E: Emotions – it’s all in the details
Think: What is the ONE detail you could highlight that captures the world in a nutshell.
What are you trying to convey, and how is that metaphor already in your scene?
L: Language that is specific:
Specific nouns and details do more to evoke emotions and create place than commonalities.
L – Trick 1: LOAD DUMP — Don’t do a Storyworld dump. The key to great storyworld building is weaving this in between the action. Think – 3-5 sentences at the most. Long passages of description tire the reader – but we need to see the world, so weave it in.
A – Trick 2: ACTION – Give your character something to do in the scene. As they move through the scene, you can describe it without the reader even realizing that they’re slowly being drawn into the world.
N – Trick 3: NUANCE – TRICK YOUR READER…Use verbs that convey the emotion of the scene; subconsciously they raise the sense of dread for the entire scene.
D – Trick 3 – DRAW us in every now and again with a Sense. Just like interspersing the world between actions, sprinkle the senses throughout the scene so they can see or taste or hear the world.
