Create a World with Your Five Senses

By Laura Backes

by Suzanna E. Henshon, Ph.D

 

How do you start a story? Does the vision of a character enter your mind, or do you start with a plot? While it is critical to begin with compelling characters and logical plot lines, many writers forget that there are other things involved in developing a story. In essence, the job of the writer is to take the reader into your world, to give her a sense of what encompasses the place your characters inhabit.

 

As you begin writing, it can be helpful to close your eyes and to imagine your character’s world. What do you experience when you think about it in a visual sense? When you feel it in a tangible way? When we think of some of the greatest works of fiction, these authors make their worlds come alive in compelling ways — to the point that someone can draw a map of the world and fill it in with details. That’s what you want to do with your writing.

 

An effective way to draw readers into this fictional world is to use your senses as a guide. Here are some things to think about as you create a world upon the page.

 

Sound

 

What sounds fill your character’s world? How do these sounds influence her life experiences, and the way she negotiates her world? As you listen to the sounds that fill her world, you may find these sounds can also enhance your fictional work.

 

Sight

 

What does your character see? Many of us forget that children have a different perspective on the landscape. Without the benefit of life experiences and size, they walk through a landscape that is closer to their feet. For example, a three-year-old standing in a crowd can’t see what an adult can. Her perspective is going to be seeing the backs and legs of people, not the actual speaker in a crowd.

 

Touch

 

What does your character touch? When she gets out of bed in the morning, does she hold a stuffed rabbit? When she heads to breakfast, does she eat cereal that is smooth in texture, or does she consume a piece of bread? These experiences are an important part of your character’s life, and you want to share them with your reader.

 

Smell

 

What does your reader smell? When we think back to childhood, some memories remain vivid — the smell of a chocolate chip cookie baking in the oven resonates with cocoa and sweetness, no matter how many years have passed. When we step into a school cafeteria, we are overwhelmed by the smell of meals eaten and consumed recently. When you think about what your character smells, you will start to see that every experience she has can enhance the authenticity of the narrative.

 

Taste

 

What does your character like to eat? Sometimes it can be very helpful to eat the things your character loves. It’s difficult to imagine Roald Dahl writing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory without a candy bar in his hand. So eat what your main character does — and share this meal with readers.

 

Now that you have become accustomed to writing with the five senses, you can see that when you think outside the traditional way of telling a story, you can include many more details that enhance your reader’s experience. You can include many more details that guide a reader into your world, into the world of a child who exists on the page of your story. When you think through the senses and how they impact our life experiences, you become a stronger and more effective writer.

 

Dr. Suzanna E. Henshon teaches full-time at Florida Gulf Coast University and is the author of several young adult and middle grade books, and two collections of writing exercises. Her newest book, Andy Lightfoot and the Time Warp, is available for the Kindle on Amazon.

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Create a World with Your Five Senses

A New Way Forward for Children’s Writing

By Jon Bard

There are two important things I want to tell you today.  This post may take a few minutes to read, but I promise it will be worth it.

 

First, this:  You know the old Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times”, right?  Well, we certainly do.

 

And, whatever your feelings about events may be, there’s one thing we know.  In uncertain times, it’s children and teens who often feel things the most.  They don’t have an understanding of the complexities of the world, and they don’t have the life experience to put things in their proper perspective.

 

If the world seems a bit scary and uncertain to grownups, imagine how young people are feeling.  They need to know that kindness, common purpose and love are still the fuels that drives humanity, and that, together, we’ll make our way through whatever happens.

 

They need people who can tell them that, and do it in ways that are engaging, entertaining and powerful. They need children’s writers.

 

They need you.

 

We’ll have more to say on this subject soon, but I wanted to share this today, because a lot you need to hear it.  And I needed to express it.

 

So get to work.  Your insight, your compassion and your talents are needed. Right now.

 

 

Which leads me to my second point.  It’s about *how* to put your talents to work.

 

 

You’ve probably heard us talk about Picture Book Blueprint and our upcoming Chapter Book Blueprint. They’re the first of what will be an extensive library of online tools/courses to help you learn to create a great manuscript in whatever genre you want.

 

We created them because we know that so many of you are truly devoted to the idea of writing great books for kids and teens, but you’re confused, intimidated and overwhelmed.  The process seems impenetrable.

 

 

You want to change the world with your words, but you just don’t know where to start.

 

 

So let me take just a moment to explain the Blueprint concept we created, because it can show you a clear path to move past all the frustration and go directly to being an author.  It’s the answer to help ease your mind, allow you to relax and get right into the joyous process of writing your book and connecting with the young people who need you.

 

Here’s the deal…

 

After 27 years, here’s what we’ve come to know about writing:  Learning to write can seem like a long, hard slog.  You just want to write, but it’s like there’s a mountain in the way. It represents the things you don’t know, and the experience you don’t have.

 

There’s no clear path. Just tons of info.  Courses, blog posts, articles, conferences, advice of varying quality from thousands of sources.

 

Everyone tells you “what” to do, but hardly anyone tells you “how” to do it.  As a result, you probably have no clear idea what to do next.

 

 

And, you’re short on time and money.  You don’t have the resources to buy every expensive course, get a Masters Degree or fly around the country attending conferences.  And your hectic life doesn’t give you enough time to pore through all those “how to” books and courses.

 

The Blueprint concept changes everything.  A Writing Blueprint isn’t just another course.  It’s actually a writing system that you’ll use again and again.

 

It’s built on these foundations:

 

1.   Writing Blueprints break every step of the writing process into easy-to-manage pieces.

 

2.  They offer expert video guidance every step of the way.

 

3.  Each step includes worksheets that build on one another, leading to a finished manuscript.

 

4.  The way the worksheets are created assures that the “DNA” of the best books of the particular genre are built into your manuscript.

 

5. Each Blueprint includes a step-by-step self-critique and revision system, with expert guidance.

 

6. When you’re done, you’ll have a finished, polished manuscript, ready to be submitted!

 

 

Here’s the old way of learning how to write a book in a particular genre:

 

• Spend months sifting through information
• Try to figure it out yourself
• Spend tons of money on courses, conferences and books
• Pay for expensive critiques
• Use trial and error while you collect rejection slips and get discouraged

 

Here’s the Blueprint way

 

• Write your manuscript while you learn!
• Get step-by-step instruction from world-class teachers
• Incorporate the DNA of the greatest books directly into your manuscript
• Revise like a pro with video guidance from top critiquers
• Effortlessly create a polished manuscript, ready to submit
• Includes lifetime access – Use it again and again, for each new project

 

Picture Book Blueprint is already transforming the lives of writers around the world (you can see it here http://picturebookblueprint.com)

 

Next Wednesday, we release Chapter Book Blueprint and we’ll be inviting you to join us and actually use the Blueprint in real time to begin your own chapter book.  (Save the date, the live launch webinar is Wednesday, November 16 at 5 PM Pacific.  More details to come soon!)  If you’re interested in writing chapter books and haven’t already checked out our free webinar called “The Magic of Chapter Books”, visit http://writeforkids.org/cbmagic

 

We’re currently developing Writing Blueprints for YA/Middle Grade, Magazine Writing and Self Publishing, and more are on their way.

 

We believe that the Writing Blueprint concept will be the key to get writers out of their own heads and onto the page.  And then, into the hands of the children and young adults who so greatly need your work.

 

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: A New Way Forward for Children’s Writing