Hi everyone! How did you do this past week? Are you still going strong or ready to throw in the towel?
I have another tip for you to keep going: details.
Use some of your writing time to just sit and write a setting, character, or action description. Don't worry about order of any kind. Let your imagination run wild and spill out everything that comes to mind about your topic. It counts toward your word count. Chances are you'll later restructure and toss out or amend what you write now - but that's later.
Fleshing out details can awaken your creativity and get your juices flowing again. All of a sudden you've got loads of new ideas for where your plot can take you, or twists you can add in.
Imagine going from: Carol walked through the park to get to her appointment.
To something like this:
Men wearing green and gold-braided uniforms stood like doormen at either side of the entrance to the park. Crowds of people milled in lines along the pathways, the line moving to Carol's right carrying bright colored balloons and the line going left with either their hands in their pockets and eyes watching their feet or carrying crude picketing signs that said things like: "Give What You've Got!" and "We Want the Combustion!" The wind blew newspapers, empty popcorn bags, and other trash between the marchers' legs. More than one balloon was snatched and floated across the man-made stream towards Carol. The voices, the onslaught of debris and balloons, the confusion - Carol unfroze, looked dubiously at the snooty men by the park entrance, and dashed behind a group of newcomers.
It's rough, but you get the idea. All of a sudden we have details we can play with that might have an impact on Carol later in the story.
Use the five senses. What does your character smell? Hear? See? Feel (physically)? Taste (if applicable)?
Go for the unusual and the pertinent. What stands out about a place, person, or event? What helps move your plot along? What makes your character react in some way? Maybe Carol hates balloons and seeing a bunch of them blowing wildly toward her is what freaks her out. Maybe she knows there are hidden messages in those balloons that could implicate her. Maybe she's supposed to be one of the organizers for one of the marches and instead she's ducking out to go to an appointment. So many possibilities. Don't be afraid to go a little crazy or go big.
Happy writing this week!
Don't miss out on each weekly tip!
Tip 1: Stuck? Do Some Jumping
Tip 3: Exposition Help
Tip 4: Verbal Tornado
I have another tip for you to keep going: details.
Use some of your writing time to just sit and write a setting, character, or action description. Don't worry about order of any kind. Let your imagination run wild and spill out everything that comes to mind about your topic. It counts toward your word count. Chances are you'll later restructure and toss out or amend what you write now - but that's later.
Fleshing out details can awaken your creativity and get your juices flowing again. All of a sudden you've got loads of new ideas for where your plot can take you, or twists you can add in.
Imagine going from: Carol walked through the park to get to her appointment.
To something like this:
Men wearing green and gold-braided uniforms stood like doormen at either side of the entrance to the park. Crowds of people milled in lines along the pathways, the line moving to Carol's right carrying bright colored balloons and the line going left with either their hands in their pockets and eyes watching their feet or carrying crude picketing signs that said things like: "Give What You've Got!" and "We Want the Combustion!" The wind blew newspapers, empty popcorn bags, and other trash between the marchers' legs. More than one balloon was snatched and floated across the man-made stream towards Carol. The voices, the onslaught of debris and balloons, the confusion - Carol unfroze, looked dubiously at the snooty men by the park entrance, and dashed behind a group of newcomers.
It's rough, but you get the idea. All of a sudden we have details we can play with that might have an impact on Carol later in the story.
Use the five senses. What does your character smell? Hear? See? Feel (physically)? Taste (if applicable)?
Go for the unusual and the pertinent. What stands out about a place, person, or event? What helps move your plot along? What makes your character react in some way? Maybe Carol hates balloons and seeing a bunch of them blowing wildly toward her is what freaks her out. Maybe she knows there are hidden messages in those balloons that could implicate her. Maybe she's supposed to be one of the organizers for one of the marches and instead she's ducking out to go to an appointment. So many possibilities. Don't be afraid to go a little crazy or go big.
Happy writing this week!
Don't miss out on each weekly tip!
Tip 1: Stuck? Do Some Jumping
Tip 3: Exposition Help
Tip 4: Verbal Tornado
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