Suzy Davies's Blog: Book News - Posts Tagged "description"
My Take on Writing Scenes and Settings
I think the secret to good scene-making is visualization. I believe it helps to have experienced the setting, and perhaps the kinds of characters you are writing, either first hand or from reliable secondary material. You literally have to put yourself in the scene in your imagination so that you feel as if you are physically there, taking in all the stimuli - sights, sounds and sensations of your characters. For me, it’s like alternating between being the camera (narrator) in a movie, and being the actor(s) or character(s) in the scene.
When you yourself believe you are there in the scene, your readers will also believe it.
Attention to small details is important, but at the same time, do not tell everything - show the main things that create a certain kind of ambiance, and carry the message that you want to deliver.
When creating scenes, be aware that the function of a scene is to show off your characters in the best, ( or worst - if they are villains,) possible light. The scene and the setting should work together. A very dramatic way of bringing out the evil of a character in a thriller for example, might be to have a victim playing a sweet song on a musical instrument in a beautiful, serene room, and then moments later, the axe murderer breaks in.
Using parallel and opposition in your work makes it interesting. You could have a hero visiting a friend, and then the villain/antagonist visits the same person. You could show how the host receives each of them in a very different manner - he knows what they are like. His reactions communicate how he feels about your hero versus your antagonist and persuade the reader by showing him/her.
There should always be a balance of description and dialogue in your work. Description tends to have the effect of slowing or delaying things. Switching scenes just when things have got to a climax in the earlier scene can be a good delaying tactic to draw the reader in and build tension.
Fast-paced action scenes such as battles call for short snappy sentences to communicate tension, and minimum dialogue if any at all.
Remember, you should set out to make things believable for the reader. This means that even if you are writing a fantasy, it may be best to include some carefully chosen “facts” that you have researched - of course you will embellish them in a work of fiction - but this will add credibility to your story.
The way you paint a scene will create a certain kind of atmosphere. I find it useful to draw on movies to explain this point. The way you as the narrator interpret a scene (and setting) is part of your unique signature as a writer. If you ask a number of people about a movie no two will describe things exactly the same. But there is likely to be a lot of overlap in what they see, feel and hear, which creates the atmosphere of the movie. A producer is highly selective in what and who he puts into each scene. There is always a reason - even for “props.” You have the same task as a writer. Everything you write in your scene creates the emotional response in the reader. But it is also true that what you leave out will also carry a message.
When you yourself believe you are there in the scene, your readers will also believe it.
Attention to small details is important, but at the same time, do not tell everything - show the main things that create a certain kind of ambiance, and carry the message that you want to deliver.
When creating scenes, be aware that the function of a scene is to show off your characters in the best, ( or worst - if they are villains,) possible light. The scene and the setting should work together. A very dramatic way of bringing out the evil of a character in a thriller for example, might be to have a victim playing a sweet song on a musical instrument in a beautiful, serene room, and then moments later, the axe murderer breaks in.
Using parallel and opposition in your work makes it interesting. You could have a hero visiting a friend, and then the villain/antagonist visits the same person. You could show how the host receives each of them in a very different manner - he knows what they are like. His reactions communicate how he feels about your hero versus your antagonist and persuade the reader by showing him/her.
There should always be a balance of description and dialogue in your work. Description tends to have the effect of slowing or delaying things. Switching scenes just when things have got to a climax in the earlier scene can be a good delaying tactic to draw the reader in and build tension.
Fast-paced action scenes such as battles call for short snappy sentences to communicate tension, and minimum dialogue if any at all.
Remember, you should set out to make things believable for the reader. This means that even if you are writing a fantasy, it may be best to include some carefully chosen “facts” that you have researched - of course you will embellish them in a work of fiction - but this will add credibility to your story.
The way you paint a scene will create a certain kind of atmosphere. I find it useful to draw on movies to explain this point. The way you as the narrator interpret a scene (and setting) is part of your unique signature as a writer. If you ask a number of people about a movie no two will describe things exactly the same. But there is likely to be a lot of overlap in what they see, feel and hear, which creates the atmosphere of the movie. A producer is highly selective in what and who he puts into each scene. There is always a reason - even for “props.” You have the same task as a writer. Everything you write in your scene creates the emotional response in the reader. But it is also true that what you leave out will also carry a message.
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