Tag: Sensory details.

Seasonal Effects

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Close your eyes and picture a typical spring day where you live. What is the weather like? How do you feel? What things do you see, feel, touch? What foods do you typically eat? Where do you go only in the spring?

Write this down.

Move on to summer. What things do you only do in the summer? Record how you feel, think, what you see, taste, touch.

Do the same for autumn and winter.

Looking over your list, do you see a pattern?

Your task is to create a comparable list for your character. It makes no difference the genre of your writing. What matters is that your listings be accurate for the place and time of your work.

Once the list is complete, choose the season you feel most comfortable writing about. Place your character in the story with at least one other person. Turn on the action. Make sure to include those details that impact your character the most.

When you are finished, reread looking for sensory details. Make sure that you did not list them, but rather revealed them slowly, one at a time.

Have fun with this one.

Natural Disasters

On By Terry ConnellyIn Writing promptLeave a comment

Let’s face it: things happen. Life is not a bowl of chocolates or cherries or cookies. It’s messy, even if we eliminate all the emotional baggage and just focus on the environment.

All over the world weather causes damage. Fires. Floods. Mudslides. Tornadoes and hurricanes. Famine and drought. Fissures and earthquakes. Lightning strikes, ice, hail and snow.

And when these things happen, people’s lives are affected.

Your character, even when living in a fantasy world, experiences a natural disaster or two. This has to be reflected in the story. Not just the event, but also the character’s reactions.

Your task is to write a scene in which some force of nature comes tumbling down in the way of your character’s life. I suggest choosing a phenomenon with which you are most familiar.

For example, in the SF area where I live,  earthquakes are not all that uncommon. But we’ve also recently experienced four years of drought followed by this year’s torrential rains. A reservoir overflowed, the emergency release point on a dam crumbled, and the overflow washed away in a sea of mud. Homes were evacuated, bridges and streets collapsed and water seeped into basements, parks, and parked cars.

If I were to write a story that takes place in the spring or fall, I would need to add in rainfall, hail, sleet and maybe even a little snow on the highest peaks.

Think of the location for your scene. Then make a list of potential disasters that could occur. Choose one. Then write.

Remember to include what your character sees, thinks, feels, tastes and hears. Include emotional reactions. Have some type of damage occur so that your character has to take action.

When finished, reread looking for places where you can strengthen description and response.

Have fun with this one.