Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-tools"
Write Using Your Life Experiences
No matter who you are, no matter your age, location, or worldview, everyone has a unique life experience that’s worth looking at for stories. It could be a childhood memory that brings you happiness, one that brings you sadness, or it could be something more recent that happened to you that has the potential to be the seed for your next story. Even if that story is a short one, looking through your past to find events that have potential to grow and expand into narratives is a useful tool when you have writer’s block, are looking for an interesting backstory for a character you’ve already created or are creating, or even as a creative writing exercise before you sit down to work on a project for the day.
No matter what the case may be, looking for stories from you own life experience can enhance your stories by giving it a uniqueness and a genuineness that only you can bring to it. After all, it happened to you, and only you know how you felt when the event took place. Use those thoughts, feelings, and emotions to create a dimensional story that has some weight to it when seen by a reader. It may just deliver the impact your story needs.
When developing my novel, The Field, I used my own life experience of being abducted to construct Daniel’s narrative. Then I used my own thoughts, feelings, and emotions from that traumatic event to enhance drama of the story. In doing so, I wanted to bring the reader into that space and truly experience what I did through the character of Daniel, but from the safety of reader’s bedroom, living room, or backyard.
Your unique life experiences can be a powerful tool when it comes to creating strong narratives and strong, dimensional characters. Never be afraid to use the resource that’s always with you. You!
No matter what the case may be, looking for stories from you own life experience can enhance your stories by giving it a uniqueness and a genuineness that only you can bring to it. After all, it happened to you, and only you know how you felt when the event took place. Use those thoughts, feelings, and emotions to create a dimensional story that has some weight to it when seen by a reader. It may just deliver the impact your story needs.
When developing my novel, The Field, I used my own life experience of being abducted to construct Daniel’s narrative. Then I used my own thoughts, feelings, and emotions from that traumatic event to enhance drama of the story. In doing so, I wanted to bring the reader into that space and truly experience what I did through the character of Daniel, but from the safety of reader’s bedroom, living room, or backyard.
Your unique life experiences can be a powerful tool when it comes to creating strong narratives and strong, dimensional characters. Never be afraid to use the resource that’s always with you. You!
Writing Exercise of the Week: Location, Location, Location
Every story happens somewhere, and wherever that place is, it needs to be described to the reader so that they can be fully immersed in the story being told. While there are many locales that people are familiar with and can picture in their minds, it is the writer's job to ensure the image they wish to convey of that location is communicated accurately.
Here are three writing exercises you can try to work on your location description skills.
Exercise #1 – Describe a City or Town
PART ONE
Pick a city or town you know well or would like to visit and write a detailed paragraph or two that puts the reader in the middle of that specific location. Describe the sights, sounds, smells, weather, the people, architecture, etc.
PART TWO
Whittle those paragraphs down into one sentence. Can you still convey the feel and vibe of the city or town in fewer words? What adjectives or verbs can best describe the location using less space?
Exercise #2 – Describe a Specific Location in the City or Town
PART ONE
Choose a park, a library, a coffee shop, or the public square, and write in detail everything you want to convey to a reader about that location. Be as descriptive as possible, giving the reader details that make them feel like they are in that space. Again, try for one or two paragraphs.
PART TWO
Can you put the reader in that location in one sentence? You want to convey as much information as possible in a limited number of words while giving the reader a true sense of experiencing the location.
Exercise #3 – Describe a Part of the Location in #2
PART ONE
Look around the location you’ve chosen. What stands out to you? Focus on that specific thing. It could be a wall, a painting, a fountain, or a tree. Give it all the descriptive detail you can, leaving nothing out as you craft one to two paragraphs.
PART TWO
In one sentence, describe the object to the reader without losing the true sense and weight of the object or part of the chosen location.
Why Am I Doing This?
Knowing how to describe a location in great detail is a valuable tool for a writer. At the same time, learning how to convey that information in only a few words can empower you as a writer when tasked with writing a pitch, a blurb, or a synopsis.
Practice writing out long, colorful descriptions, then try to convey the same feeling in one sentence. Like anything else, it will get a little easier each time, even if it continues to be a fun challenge.
Happy Description Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Here are three writing exercises you can try to work on your location description skills.
Exercise #1 – Describe a City or Town
PART ONE
Pick a city or town you know well or would like to visit and write a detailed paragraph or two that puts the reader in the middle of that specific location. Describe the sights, sounds, smells, weather, the people, architecture, etc.
PART TWO
Whittle those paragraphs down into one sentence. Can you still convey the feel and vibe of the city or town in fewer words? What adjectives or verbs can best describe the location using less space?
Exercise #2 – Describe a Specific Location in the City or Town
PART ONE
Choose a park, a library, a coffee shop, or the public square, and write in detail everything you want to convey to a reader about that location. Be as descriptive as possible, giving the reader details that make them feel like they are in that space. Again, try for one or two paragraphs.
PART TWO
Can you put the reader in that location in one sentence? You want to convey as much information as possible in a limited number of words while giving the reader a true sense of experiencing the location.
Exercise #3 – Describe a Part of the Location in #2
PART ONE
Look around the location you’ve chosen. What stands out to you? Focus on that specific thing. It could be a wall, a painting, a fountain, or a tree. Give it all the descriptive detail you can, leaving nothing out as you craft one to two paragraphs.
PART TWO
In one sentence, describe the object to the reader without losing the true sense and weight of the object or part of the chosen location.
Why Am I Doing This?
Knowing how to describe a location in great detail is a valuable tool for a writer. At the same time, learning how to convey that information in only a few words can empower you as a writer when tasked with writing a pitch, a blurb, or a synopsis.
Practice writing out long, colorful descriptions, then try to convey the same feeling in one sentence. Like anything else, it will get a little easier each time, even if it continues to be a fun challenge.
Happy Description Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
