Welcome to our weekly MCS Minute Masterclass. Today we're looking at blending description with action.
Description is important because it sets your scene and helps transport the reader to your book's universe. When writing description, it's usually best to incorporate it into the flow of the story instead of halting the action for a paragraph like: She stumbled across [a thing.] The thing was [description.] It had [description] and wore [description.]
Consider the difference between:
"I see the edge of the cliff. Below me is the river, and jagged rocks. The night air is crisp. As I jump, I think about whether things might have been different if I had just told the truth from the beginning."
and
"My left foot lands at the edge of the cliff. I push off with all my might, rocketing my body out toward the middle of the river, far away from the jagged rocks below. As I plummet through the crisp night air, I think about whether things might have been different if I had just told the truth from the beginning." --Paula Stokes, Liars, Inc., (HarperTeen, 2015)
In a way, it all goes back to showing and not telling. Instead of playing tour guide, let readers experience your world on their own as they move through it . Happy writing!
Description is important because it sets your scene and helps transport the reader to your book's universe. When writing description, it's usually best to incorporate it into the flow of the story instead of halting the action for a paragraph like: She stumbled across [a thing.] The thing was [description.] It had [description] and wore [description.]
Consider the difference between:
"I see the edge of the cliff. Below me is the river, and jagged rocks. The night air is crisp. As I jump, I think about whether things might have been different if I had just told the truth from the beginning."
and
"My left foot lands at the edge of the cliff. I push off with all my might, rocketing my body out toward the middle of the river, far away from the jagged rocks below. As I plummet through the crisp night air, I think about whether things might have been different if I had just told the truth from the beginning." --Paula Stokes, Liars, Inc., (HarperTeen, 2015)
In a way, it all goes back to showing and not telling. Instead of playing tour guide, let readers experience your world on their own as they move through it . Happy writing!
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