The Key to Descriptive Writing - Words and MoreYes, word choice is important in descriptive writing. However, simply inserting a bunch of adjectives into your sentences won't cut it. Check out these 5 tips expert writers use to create vivid descriptions in books, short stories, screenplays, and articles. Want to write an awesome story? Download my FREE outlining guide. What is descriptive writing?Descriptive writing is a storytelling technique that vividly conveys the setting and character behavior within a scene. It is found in fiction and narrative non-fiction. It often relies on visual imagery to capture a scene, however, evokes the four non-sight senses as well. A common descriptive writing mistakeNewer writers often make the mistake of loading adjectives into their sentences, thinking it'll make their writing more descriptive. Though adjectives do describe, alone, they don't pull your reader into your scene. You want your audience to be immersed in the world of your story, to the point where they shut the real world out while reading. A tactic for accomplishing this is the "show don't tell" method. Essentially, instead of "telling" your reader something in your story has a certain characteristic, "show" that characteristic in action and allow the reader to come to the conclusion it exists. Excessive adjective use is associated with telling. Showing, on the other hand, draws your reader in the story world because it activates the part of the mind that makes observations. Your reader will begin to feel like an active participant in your story, not someone hearing about it from a distance. Let's look at two examples and see which you think is better... Examples of descriptive writing - show vs. tellLet's assume I want to convey to a reader that a big bowl of soup is hot. Here are two ways I can do that: Example A Kelly left a big, hot bowl of soup on the kitchen counter. Example B James walks into the kitchen. A bowl of soup takes up a chunk of the counter. Kelly must've forgotten to clean up after she ate. James grabs it, then yanks his hand away. The tips of his fingers burn. I feel example B is more descriptive. Notice how the adjectives "big" and "hot" aren't even used? Notice how no adjectives are used at all? Instead, the reader is pulled into the scene and uncovers the intended characteristics through sensory observation. Check out 5 tips below for leading your reader into the world of your story. For even more advice on creating immersive scenes, check out my online scene writing course. #1 - Leverage nouns and verbs in descriptive writingNouns and verbs are the main ingredients in the "show" method of storytelling. Because they capture physical entities and movement, they lend themselves to visualizations. Examples: The pitcher hurls the baseball. The criminal shatters the window. The hail whacks the pavement. Opt for words that create specific, concrete images in readers' minds. For instance, John travels down the street isn't as strong as John sprints down the street. Nouns and verbs can also appeal to the non-sight senses: smell, sound, taste, and touch. For instance, The music booms in her ears or The bullet rips through his flesh. #2 - Use character reactions in descriptive writingCharacter reactions add a human element to your scenes, which helps deepen the connection between a reader and your story. Let's say I want to get across the idea that a cliff is steep. I can show the reaction of a character observing the steepness to associate it with a feeling - in this case, fear. This human feeling provides depth to the physical description of the cliff. For instance: Fred inches his head over the cliff for a peek down. If he fell, sudden death. His heart pounding, he takes a step back. #3 - Use dialogue in descriptive writingLike character reactions, dialogue features humans. Because of this, it can express feeling, which pumps life into your story. Do you want to get across the point a character is funny? Don't tell your audience. Show the character saying something funny. Do you want to convey that a necklace in your story is beautiful? Don't tell your audience. Show a pair of characters discussing the lengths they'd go to just to wear it for a night. #4 - Avoid adverbs in descriptive writingThough you should try to phrase descriptive sentences with nouns and verbs, an occasional adjective is okay. For instance, if a car being red plays a role in the plot of your story, feel free to state that the car is red, versus trying to come up with some roundabout way of expressing the color without its name. Adverbs, on the other hand, should be eliminated from your sentences in the vast majority of cases. Adverbs tend to be extra words that don't add meaning to your writing. You should be able to cut almost all of them without losing the point you're trying to make. Below, I've made some descriptive points, with an adverb version to the left and a non-adverb version to the right. The non-adverb variations use fewer words, which helps keep your writing lean, while retaining the meaning of the point. Plus, they're more vivid.
#5 - Avoid data dumps in descriptive writingA data dump occurs when a writer piles a bunch of information about a topic onto the reader at once. These can slow your story, cause the reader to get bored, and pull them out of the world you've created. Even if you follow the tips above and your descriptive writing is quality, you should avoid going into too much depth on a topic at once. For example, let's say your main character is from a big city and she just arrives in a small rural town that will serve as the setting for the rest of the story. You will of course want to capture the essence of this small town. However, you should avoid telling your reader everything about it the moment it's introduced. Instead, release descriptive details about parts of the town as your characters experience them. As an alternative to informing your audience about the diner, the mill, and the motel in a data dump, describe the diner the first time your main character goes for breakfast. And don't inform your reader about the mill or the motel until they're featured in their own scenes later on. The same logic holds within a specific scene. Don't offer the reader everything about the diner the moment your character arrives. Have the audience experience the details as your character does. You can describe the old sign out front. Then the scent of the lobby. Then the quirky personality of the waitress. Then the taste of the food. Then the mysterious man in the corner who seems to be spying. Want more writing advice?You might also like my post on writing voice.
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How to Write Great Dialogue in Your Story – 5 Tips With ExamplesWriting a book or screenplay? Bad dialogue can cause readers to abandon your story after just a few pages, while great dialogue can keep them hooked till the end. Check out these 5 tips to make sure your dialogue is the better kind. Want to write an awesome story? Download my FREE outlining guide. What is dialogue in a story?Dialogue is what the characters in a story say. It’s one of the four major types of content that appear on pages, along with description, internal monologue, and narration. Dialogue, which receives its own formatting, can be expressed in any sequence among any of the other page elements. Why is good dialogue important?Are you an author looking for a publishing deal? Employees at publishing companies are busy. They lack the time to fully read every submitted manuscript. They may just read the first five pages, then decide to continue or not. If you haven’t impressed them with those first five pages, your project is done (despite how great your ending is and all the other scenes they haven’t gotten to). Are you a screenwriter? Film producers are known to follow a similar process while going through script submissions. Do you plan to bypass a writing deal and self-publish? Consumers can read the opening pages of your book on Amazon before buying. If they’re not hooked, your sale is gone. Since dialogue often takes up the bulk of a page’s space, it is bound to play a significant factor in the perceived quality of your writing, even in just five pages. Quality dialogue is critical for getting your story “through the door.” Even if you can capture a reader’s attention in the opening pages, you still need to make sure you sustain their interest with quality dialogue through the rest of your story. Below are 5 tips to help you nail this crucial component of your story. If you want even more advice on dialogue, check out my online dialogue course. 5 tips for great dialogue#1 – Infuse your dialogue with conflict“Hi,” Nick says. “Hello,” Grace replies. “You look nice today.” “Thank you. You look nice too. Where do you want to eat lunch?” “I want to try that sushi place on Adams.” “I really want to try it too. Let’s go. I can drive.” “Sounds good.” Are you bored yet? This is an example of bad dialogue. It has no conflict. The two characters are having a pleasant conversation with no tension. Though people tend to enjoy conversations like that in real life, they disdain them in stories. People buy books and movies for drama. Your characters shouldn’t ask simple questions and get back simple answers. They should be at odds with each other. Even in a scene where two characters are friends, they shouldn’t be in full agreement on a topic. Give them different perspectives, even slightly, then show those perspectives clashing. #2 – Give characters unique voicesAs a reader gets deeper into your story, whenever a major character is speaking, the reader should theoretically be able to identify the character based on the content of their words. This becomes possible if you give your characters unique voices. Characters should be individualized via characterization traits. Those traits should be reflected in the things they choose to say. Does a nasty organized-crime enforcer speak the same way as a friendly guidance counselor? Make the distinction clear. Even characters who have many demographic traits in common shouldn’t sound exactly alike. Think about people in your own life whom you consider a similar demographic as you. You may not talk drastically different from each other, but some variety must exist. Maybe you say the word “Yes” often, while your best friend prefers “Yep.” Not a major difference, but it can add to characterization. #3 – Use slang and jargon effectivelyLike we just discussed, characters should have authentic, distinct voices. In real life, people often speak with characteristic slang and jargon. People in your story should too. These terms can help capture a character’s geographic roots, career, demeanor, and much more. However, your audience may not have previous knowledge of these specialized terms. And you don’t want to slow down your story by explaining what every instance means. Work in some of these terms, but in a way that doesn’t prohibit your audience from following your plot. Your reader should be able to understand the gist of a conversation even if they don’t know every word. Have you ever watched or read a police-procedural movie or book? What about a story that features scientists working in a lab? Did you hear various terms you didn’t quite understand? Maybe codes cops use over their radios? Or chemical compounds the scientists discuss? Were you still able to follow the plot? If so, the gist of the conversations were intact. Based on the reactions of other characters, who do understand the terms, you were able to tell if something bad was happening in the scene or something good, and you could tell whom was affected. That's what matters. Yet, in certain cases, knowing a bit about an obscure or technical topic is critical to understanding a story. If you're writing one like this, you need to get the information across to your audience. For example, if you’re telling a military story, and a certain cutting-edge weapon plays a major role in your ending, you should sufficiently explain how the technology works well before the ending. But be careful. If your story features too many topics that require explanation, your pacing can suffer. Keep these to a handful at most. #4 – Don’t force information into your dialogue“Hey Amanda,” Steve says. “Guess what? Yesterday I ran into our former classmate, Nathan, who you started dating in high school, then dated through college, then broke up with last year.” Feels off, right? Steve and Amanda both know she dated Nathan. Steve would have no need to tell her information he is aware she already knows. Instead, this would feel more natural: “Hey Amanda,” Steve says. “Guess what? Yesterday I ran into Nathan.” Why do writers often force unnatural information into dialogue? Though characters may be aware of a certain piece of information, sometimes the audience has yet to hear it. Contextual details the audience needs to fully understand a scene is known as exposition. You should only include it in dialogue if the words feel natural. FYI, avenues besides dialogue exist for conveying exposition, which I also cover in my Powerful Pages writing course. #5 – Leverage silenceYes, dialogue is about talking. However, don’t hesitate to use silence alongside it. People often go quiet when they are upset or have something to hide. These emotionally elevated states can make for great drama in a story. Use them. Which example is more interesting to you? Example A “I looked everywhere,” Leah says. “The nightstand. The glovebox of the car. Every drawer in my desk. I couldn’t find it.” “This can turn into a problem,” Jim says. Example B “I looked everywhere,” Leah says. “The nightstand. The glovebox of the car. Every drawer in my desk. I couldn’t find it.” Jim glances at her and steps to the window. He gazes at the falling snow. She puts her hand on his shoulder. “Honey, it’s going to be okay,” she says. He takes a deep breath and storms out of the den. I don’t know about you, but I think B is better, even though Jim doesn’t say a thing. His silence creates tension. Him leaving the room without talking is a stronger expression of “This can turn into a problem” than him actually saying “This can turn into a problem.” Want more writing tips?You might also like my posts on descriptive writing and writing POV.
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