Build Your Story: 8 Strategies for Writing Innovative Setting with Impact
“Think of the eerie
nature of these kinds of touch: the feel of a hand on the back of a neck; the
slippery quality of blood on skin; the light pressure of breath in a person’s
ear.” Jordan E. Rosenfeld
Suspense Exercise:
Touch
Writing Exercise
1.
Do you remember playing a game where you put
your hands into a bag and guessed what was inside? In whatever setting your
character is in, past, present or future, prepare a guessing bag for them and
put in common ingredients from their place for them to feel. Make a list of
their reactions.
2.
Use that memory to help you character through a
difficult situation, like a need to escape either emotionally, or literally
tied up with strong ropes.
Movie Exercise
1.
Choose one brightly lit scene from a favorite
movie in your genre and one darker setting.
2.
For each scene go through the sensory categories
in this strategy and make a list of everything you notice.
3.
Pick out the ones that seem to best highlight
each scene? Why
Here’s one example from the movie Hugo. In the scene when Hugo follows
George Melies home the night is dark, cold, and damp. The whole walk reflects
the shadows, the sadness, and the uncertainty ahead of him. Then the street
with funery figures highlight the magnitude of the grief that both these
characters are carrying and become an external image in cold stone.
Share: What most
unsettling sensation did your character receive in the bag?
Read deep, marcy
No comments:
Post a Comment