“So, I see that you missed me last week, now, tell me how to write those emotional layers.” I sat down at the coffee shop and Sally was already there, pen in hand, drinking a tall latte. “You read my blogs from last week?” “I don’t appreciate you having coffee without me, but yes,” Sally said, but she wink. “You talked about the different layers of emotions, and drilled down to the last layer, the Soul Deep layer, or a Word picture/Symbolic layer. So…how do I write that?” She lifted her pen, poised it over her notebook and raised an eyebrow. I laughed. “There are 3 ways to work in that symbolism into a scene. Today we’ll talk about the first: Storyworld! Here’s is a passage from my current historical, […]
Read the RestTag Archives | What is Storyworld, and how do I write it?
Conversations: How to build emotion into your Storyworld
A glorious blue sky beckoned me onto the porch of the coffee shop where a light summer breeze rustled the impatiens in the containers, the tangy scent of deep friend donuts scenting the air. I took a sip of coffee, waiting for Sally, watching the lazy caress of the waves upon the rocky shoreline, listened to gulls cheering on the tourists. Today, I would talk to Sally about using storyworld to build emotions. A great story is about connecting with the reader at an emotional level. We want them to feel what the character feels and thus engage in their experience on the page. Storyworld helps build the emotional engagement. How? With the right use of nouns and verbs, and the way they are woven together, the reader receives an […]
Read the Rest
Conversations: Putting Point of View into your Storyworld
Sally tossed her notebook on the table. “You’re tan. How fair is that? I’m still pasty white.” I gave her a smile. “I’m still white as a walleye compared to the Hawaiians, not to mention the native Hawaiians.. How is your storyworld writing going?” “It feels like a travel brochure. I don’t know how to make it interesting.” “It’s all about perspective, which is what I wanted to talk to you today. Every book, regardless of what kind – Suspense/Romance, Fantasy, Thriller, Historical romance – every book starts out someplace. In a world. At a moment. And, in today’s literature, with a person. Whether it’s a firecracker start to a book, or something that begins with a wide-angle view, drawing into the scene, it is viewed through the eyes of […]
Read the RestQuick Skills: How to Build Scene Tension
I just finished book 2 of the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire. Excuse me while I go pick up book 3 and spend the day ignoring my to-do list. This series is a lesson in how to create fabulous tension. Not only is the story premise powerful, but every chapter has that “can’t put down” quality. Why? TENSION on every page (as the Master Donald Maas would say!) But what is tension. Recently, I read approximately 1,768,639 contest entries. Okay, not quite that many, but it felt like it. And very few really wove real tension into their story. Obstacles and Activity are not Tension. Tension is a combination of a Sympathetic Character + Stakes + Goals + Obstacles + Fear of Failure. If any of these are missing, we don’t […]
Read the Rest
