Tuesday's Writer's Tip - A final bit here - Simple and Succinct #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Tip #Simple

I've reached the end of this series of tips and we'll look at the SS theory. This means simple and succinct. It also mans things to avoid.

Avoid vague or incorrect words. It is one of the major very vague words. It was dark blue and sleak. Now this could be many things but suppose the heroine was describing a car or an art object. The reader would be scratching their head. Another of these vague things is the word thing. He wanted the thing with every ounceof energy. The reader would wonder just what this thing was. This carries over into nouns. Car is a great word but sedan, convertible, sports car all give a better picture of the car. I often find myself doing this so I'm not alone. Neither are you.

Now we come to the senses. She smelled. He saw. can run you into problems. She smelled something awful. Rather vague. She caught the aroma of death, a musty odor that made her stomach churn. He saw a bird. He feasted on the roasted turkey all golden brown and rousing his appetite.

Another way to confuse your reader is to use the wrong word, perhaps one that sounds alike the word you want to use. Hope flaired in her eyes or Hope flared in her eyes. Which one is right. He piered at the sky or He peered at the sky. The English language is full of these little glitches.

So when you're revising that manuscript look for these things. Next week we'll talk about Simple and Succinct.

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - Checklist for Using the Senses #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Senses

You've finished your manuscript and are set about revising the story. Make sure you've used the senses in ways that help the reader enter the story. Here's a checklist to follow. After doing this many times, you'll find it comes with ease. I've been judging for a contest lately and I've found the main thing wrone is the senses aren't used effectively. After the writers use sight to describe a person physically, they may use sound but that's generally in dialogue or in rather mundane ways.

1. Have you used all the senses - sight, sound, taste, touch, smell?

2. Have you used them in both internal and external dialogue? And in narrative passages?

3. Have you used them to develop character, advance the plot and give information?

4. Are they used to show setting? Characters, time frame and tone or mood?

Take your stories paragraph by paragraph and see if using the senses can enhance the story.

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - Using the Senses - Reasons #MFRWauthor #Senses #Ways to use #BWLAuthor

Now that we've looked at the senses, let's look at the different ways to use them in your story. There are probably many more ways but these are the really common ones.

1. To define the setting. Think of the ways you can let readers know where the action is taking place. There could be the acrid aroma of gunfire and the loud snapping sounds. There could be the beauty of a rose garden or the feel of the petals beneath a person's fingers. There could be the taste of the fresh baked cookies.

2. To describe a character/ Think of ways to use the senses here. She felt the roughness of his beard and the sharp aroma of sweat. She looked at his blue eyes and wanted to melt. The sound of his voice rasped over her nerves, His kiss tasted of coffee.

3. To set the time frame. The light falling snow brought winter. She stuck out her tongue and tasted the snow. The crash of waves against the rocks promised a winter storm. She smelled the coming storm. She brushed her hands over the cold, newly fallen snow.

4. To establish a mood or tone. Eerie sounds of moaning filled the air. The taste of acid burned her mouth. She touched the ancient bones and felt them crumble. She saw a shadow move in the darkness. The odor of death surrounded her.

Tuesday's Writer's Tip _ Using the Senses - Touch #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Senses #Touch

How often do we think of the texture of something beneath our fingers or other parts of our body. The sense of touch is often ignored when we are writing. Think of how touch can be sued to put the reader in the story.

The soft texture of an infant's skin. The slither of a silk gown as it flows over the skin. The jagged invasion of a rock beneath one's body. Using touch when writing can bring a reader into the story. They may have felt the rough lips of a man seizing a kiss or the feel of hand clasping like vices. Toch can be used to bring many pictures into the reader's mind.

So use tough to give your characters depth. To make your settings come alive and in some cases to advance the plot. You can show a character's love, hate or fear using just touch. You can bring a setting into view by having the character touch the rough texture of the wall or the soft petals of a flower. Using the sense of tough can animate your story. So think of touch as you write.

Tuesday's Writer's Tip Continuing the senses - Taste #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Scent

Another sense we often forget when writing is the sense of taste. How often do we write a sentence like "She dug into the chicken and mashed potatoes." We might right about the smell of fried chicken but how often do we write something like this. She tasted the fried chicken and savored the hint of spices on her tongue.

As we eat our food, we often thing about the taste. "The coffee was bitter. Or The coffee tasted like it was nine tenths water rather than the strong brew she craved.

There are a lot of taste words to help in the description. Like sweet, sour, bitter salty. Bringing the taste of what the characters are eating can bring the reader into the story and trigger their taste buds with memories. So consider adding a bit of the taste of things into the story.

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Tuesday's Writer's Tip The Senses - Smell #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Scent

Often neglected, the sense of smell always brings memories to mind both pleasant and unpleasant. Think of the many times, you've smelled something and a memory pops into your head. When you're writing, the smell of something can be used in two ways.

The first way is to show a character's reaction to the scent of something. Does it evoke memories in this person bringing them to act in some way? I once used the sc3ent of baking cookies to bring my heroine to a conclusion about her reactions to a person. The scent of flowers can bring memories. My heroes and heroines often work in hospitals. What better way to evoke a mood than to use these senses.

Another way is to have your reader remember something in their life and build a sympathy and understanding of your character. The cookie aroma has often brought remarks from readers. about how they had a short memory of their reaction. You've drawn them into the story.

There are some wonderful words to describe scents. I'll list a few and see how you react. The cloying scent of her perfume.  The rancid scent of spoiled food. So when you're writing, be sure to bring the senses into play and use them to add depth to your characters, settings and the plot.  Think about the smells of the forest, the ones of a nursery and anywhere you've laced your characters to add depth to your story.

Tuesday's Writer's Tip More on Senses - Sound #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Sound #Senses

Of all the senses, sound is the one we often,not neglect but use in pedestrian ways. What do you hear? Let's look at some examples. She heard someone behind her. Now, this tells us something but not really enough. Try something like this, The scuffle of shoes on the concrete sidewalk alerted her. Now we know someone behind her may mean something good or bad. Now try. The sound of scuffling on the sidewalk behind her set her senses reeling. Why and who? Those questions needed to be answered and soon. Now we have a real picture of the character.

Sounds can be described. Think of the sound of nails scratching a blackboard or the sad cry of a child. How often do you react to a sound. The creaks and groans of a house when you are alone. Laughter of children. When you're writing about the sounds around your characters try to remember something similar.

Sound can also be used in tage. His voice rumbled like a volcano about to erupt. Shespoke so softly the words were blurred. These kind of things show your characters.

Sounds can also help describe a setting. The sound of the wind in the trees. The rush of water in a stream. The crack up of ice on a pond.

So when you're revising think about the sound of things and how they can add to the story, the characters and the plot.

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - Senses - Sight #MFRWauthor #BWLPublishing #Writing #Senses Sight

When we're writing using the senses is important and the one used the most is sight. Words chosen to show a reader how to visualize the characters and the setting are used. If your reader can's visualize these things, they're nto going to continue reading.

Often, in a rough draft right we might write something like she saw him. Now this is such a pedestrian use of sight that when reworking the scene. You might write something like this. He entered the room. She wanted to run to him and throw her arms around him. Now this brings a bit of difference to the scene. Or you could write. Her gut tightened when the tall, dark haired man strode into the room. She wanted to knock him down a peg from his arrogant posture. This tells you something more and the sight of him becomes more visid.

The same goes for setting. The gardens were lovely. Now this is not only boring but passive. The glorious rose bushes bloomed in brightness. Shades of red from pink to a deep maroon lined the flagstone walk. Just beyond there were bushes of witte and yellow. Her favorites were the ones in shades of lavender. Now this gives a picture of the garden and its loveliness.

So when you're revising take the time to show your reader what they're seeing and you'll find they'll want to read on.

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - Using the Senses #MFRWauthor #Writing #Senses

There's sothing that's better for bringing the reader into a scene as using the senses. Using sight, sound, touch, taste and smell adds to the scene. Using the senses can do a number of things/

The senses can give a character depth and show them without saying things like he was a nasty old man, Or she was a beautiful woman. Think about it for a moment and you'll see how in your thoughts images using one of the five senses to describe either character.

What about the setting. I'm sure we've all seen the ancient castle stood on the hillside/ Or what a lovely garden. But add some of the senses and you can draw the reader into the scene.

The senses can also be used to drive the plot forward. He slogged through the rising waters of the creek. A few of the senses could have the reader slogging alongiwth the character.

There is also, if you are writing in the paranormal, fantasy or science fiction field, a sixth sense. We'll call it ESP and there are many components to this.

So for the next few weeks, senses and using then will be on the agenda here.

Tuesday's Inspiration - Painting Pictures With Words #MFRWauthor #aminspired

John D. MacDonald made this statement in an essay. "The writer must provide the materials with which the reader will construct bright pictures in his head." When I wrote this several years ago, and re-reading this again, I realized how true the statement was.

When I thought about what this meant I realized those words meant the sights, sounds, taste, smell and touch of things. Describing those give the reader a way to associate with the story and build a picture of what the world you've created is all about. Think of writing about a house. Sure you can describe it as a rectangular box but then add the little details and you can make the house any house you wish. Let's give it a try.

The house next door is a Victorian. This does bring a hazy picture to the reader. But add something like this. The "Painted Lady" next door wore her coat of pale lavender with purple touches. Brings the house in clearer. Perhaps this house is different. The purple shutters on the Victorian house next door hung like limp fingers. Gives a different picture.

In other inspirations we'll look at the other senses. Sight is one used often by writers but the use is more like "She saw a tall man. Or she saw three children. Or he saw a car." I could go on forever but you get the picture. Without the little picture the reader will glaze over what the characters see and forget. He saw a sleek red convertible and envy filled his heart. She saw broad shoulders and wondered how his shirt remained intact. Of the three children, one caught her eye. The little girl's yellow curls resembled a dandelion making her wish to run her hand across the child's head.

Hopefully you get the picture. But using sight beyond the mundane helps the reader form a bright picture in his head.

So with luck as you write, you will add those touches of paint to your prose and the reader will suddenly be in the world you have created.

Tuesday's Inspiration - Looking at the Senses - Taste #MFRWauthor

For me describing taste is probably the hardest one to do. Some of the reason for this is because I write some fantasy. There are stock words to use such as sour, salty, sweet, bitter but how does one describe chocolate or coffee when the world one is writing about isn't the world we know. There is one trick I've found and that's to make the name of the taste one is trying to describe as close to the substance one is describing.

I've used variations on coffee like cafene and then went on to describe the aromatic bitterness of what the person was drinking.

Chocla. sweet and smooth or smooth and bitter are other ways to make the reader think of chocolate and once they have this image describing how the character's taste buds react to the item becomes more evident to the reader.

But using taste is one of the ways of bringing the reader into the story. So when describing something don't forget this fifth of the senses. You can enrich your story and bring the reader's responses into what you're writing.

Wednesday's Writer's Tip - Elements of the Novel - Eileen Charbonneau - Settings

In the chapter I read today from Eileen, she's talking about Setting. Now if there's ever something I need to pay attention to, this is one area of writing where I tend to fall down. Action, dialogue and other elements are ones I usually have little problem with. I once had an editor reject a story of mine and her one comment was "Good story but the characters operate in a vacuum." Not a thing a writer wants to hear. So I set out to remedy this and failed in a different way. Each scene in the work began with a long description of the setting. This was boring. I'll admit that I haven't yet conquored the setting part of writing a story. I'm not sure why.

In Elements of the Novel, Eileen has given a very on point bit of advice. I'm going to try it to see if I can make my characters operate not in a vacuum or in a cluttered place but in a way that gives the reader a way to be in the settig with the characters.

"Setting is vital." This isn't what I learned but it's a reminder to keep the characters in a setting rather than in a vacuum.

"Place is sensory." Now this is where I usually fall down. Eileen recommends having the characters react by using one of the senses to bring the setting to life. Actually she suggests at least twice in each scene. This will bring the setting to life and can also be used to bring the characters to life as well.

Somehow this makes sense to me and I'm going to try it as I do the final revision of my curre WIP. How about you are your settings almost absent in your stories? Are your places cluttered with dozens of details that really don't have a purpose other than to put your characters in a place?