I thought I’d start posting writing tips. I’m going to try to make it once a week, though in the Future it’ll probably be on Thursdays.Ā Sometimes it’ll be something I’ve written. Other times it’ll be an awesome tip I found while surfing the web.Ā Whether you’re an aspiring author or a reader curious how I approach writing, I hope you enjoy them!
It has been a while since Iāve written one of my āvisualā writing posts. I’ve written several under my other writing name so I’ll be bringing them over to this blog and adding new ones as time permits.Ā Why do I focus on the visual? For me, I learn and retain lessons best when I have a visual representation. So I thought I’d incorporate those in my blog.
COLORING IN THE DETAILS!
Todayās post is about bringing your writing to life, coloring in those details in such a way so that readers can āpictureā or āfeelā the scene.
Check out this picture below (yes, this does relate to writing, promise. š )
Itās a neat picture, right? Nice color. It has cool composition with the sun only hitting the tops of the trees, lighting them on fire while the tree trunks remain shrouded in dark shadows. Like it? Yeah, me tooā¦LOLā¦since I took it.
But ya know, once I downloaded this picture to my computer screen, I was disappointed. Why? Because the colors looked washed out and dull compared to what I had seen while I was happily snapping away with my digital camera. What I saw was flashes of fire in the leaves, like nature had lit them ablaze. I loved the vivid stormy blue sky behind those fiery leaves and how it set such a stark and breathtaking contrast!
So what did I do once I downloaded it to my computer?
I went in and put the color back inā¦the way Iād āseenā in through the cameraās viewfinder.
And here is the result.
And what in the WORLD does ALL this have to do with writing, you askā¦
Okay, hereās how you can apply this to writing.
Once youāve written your scene, step back and read it. Think about the two pictures above. Think about how you reacted to each one. Consider how the first one was a fairly good picture all on its own, well, until you saw the next one. LOL!
The point isā¦you wrote a good scene. Now go back and make it better. Make it POP!
How do you do that?
If itās an emotional scene, then take your charactersā emotions deeper. Really dig into your main charactersā internal conflicts and how that particular scene effects or changes the characterās perspective on things. Get in there and make the reader āfeelā what the character does. Use those five senses, too!
If itās a fight scene or an action scene, beyond the actual hand to hand āfightā actions or playing out of the action scene, make sure that youāve done a thorough job employing the five senses here as well. Iām sure youāve already shown us what your character sees, but what does your character hear? What does he/she smell? What does he/she feel?
Going back and adding in these additional layers will help make your scenes come alive, giving them that āextraā memorable impact and painting a vivid picture for your readers.
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MORE AWESOME REVIEWS for BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS!
5 Stars! “… Brightest Kind of DarknessĀ is a fresh, thrilling and compelling read. Itās almost got a Final Destination feel to the book but P.T does make this book her own. I canāt help but ask myself, why isnāt this book been picked up by a publisher? Publishersā¦..seriously youāre missing out. I so want this book sitting on my shelf and I for one am thankful this book was bought to my attention because like I said, itās not one you want to miss out on…” Donna, Book Passion for LifeĀ (Click here to read the entire review)
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5 Stars! “… Exciting, atmospheric, action-packed, and intensely mysterious BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS is the best self-published work I have read to date. Michelle’s writing is so good it was easy to lose myself in the pages and forget the time, something few books can do. I can hardly wait for the next book to be released and will definitely be adding Michelle (and her alter ego Patrice Michelle) to my list of authors to watch. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy Stacey Jay or Richelle Mead’s writing styles and for fans of Jordan Dane’s intensity.”Ā Rhianna, RhiReading (Click here to read the entire review)
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5 Stars! “… The chemistry between Nara and Ethan could have set my Kindle on fire! With very few words or actions they were able to speak volumes. They had that type of connection where each little touch gives you goose bumps. Sometimes Ethan would just speak a few words and I would blush like mad.Ā
Brightest Kind of Darkness brings up an interesting idea–can you run from fate? This book is full of twists and turns and it is impossible to not care about these characters. If you want a spooky paranormal tale with a sizzling romance inside, grab this book!Ā I am already stalking P.T. to see when the next book in this series is coming out! ”Ā Jessica, Confessions of a Bookaholic (Click here to read the entire review)
HUGE thank yous to Donna, Rhi and Jessica for such wonderful reviews of BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS and being so supportive!
“Excellent!! The action started from the very first page!! The timing and pace were great!! The romance was sweet and steamy! The mystery was infalliable with soo many twists! The authors writing style was beautiful. I was blown away by how perfect the book seemed, especially considering it was self published! Other self pubished books ive read had errors or were very short. This book didnt have any of those problems!! Its def ready for prime time! I honestly think its ranked in the top books ive read this year!! ~ SweetSwan at LovelyLit Reviews
