In Today’s Journal
* A Bit of Fun
* If You’re Having Trouble Writing
* Of Interest
A Bit of Fun
My favorite comment from readers on my stories is also my biggest aspiration as a writer: “I feel as if I’m in the story with the characters.”
I achieve that end by being sure to describe—sometimes focusing down to details—every bit of the setting that the POV character notices, along with his opinions of the overall setting or parts of the setting.
Doing that requires no great skill. It requires only attention to detail and practice.
I’ve said before that story ideas are everywhere. If you’re interested in learning how to write setting and scenes, I’ve got a homework assignment for you. (grin)
- Take a look at every couch gag from the Simpsons.
- Pick any gag and write what you see on the screen. Remember to include as many details as you see.
- Just because there’s no (or very little) dialogue doesn’t mean you can’t add dialogue yourself.
- If the scene wants to run to a story, keep going.
The full video is just under two hours long, but each gag is only a few seconds. And of course you can write more than one scene if you want. This is excellent practice. Enjoy!
If You’re Having Trouble Writing
Along with his stories for the Bradbury Challenge this week (coming tomorrow), Chris Ridge sent along a note:
“I just sent you an article that was sent to me last month for my story a day in May challenge. I thought it might interest … those who struggle with the production or just the writing in general.”
“A Stupendous Amount of Writing” is by Julie Duffy on the I, WRITER substack.
Of Interest
Dr. Mardy’s Quotes of the Week: Wit