emotion Archives - Dorrance Publishing Company https://www.dorrancepublishing.com/tag/emotion/ Publishing, Co. Inc. Est. 1920 Tue, 31 Aug 2021 18:30:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.12 https://www.dorrancepublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cropped-dorrancepublishing-logo-32x32.png emotion Archives - Dorrance Publishing Company https://www.dorrancepublishing.com/tag/emotion/ 32 32 How to Write Action Scenes https://www.dorrancepublishing.com/how-to-write-action-scenes/ Thu, 02 Sep 2021 14:00:44 +0000 http://www.dorrancepublishing.com/?p=4848 One common misconception about writing is that action scenes are easy. You only need to focus on action, you don’t need to worry about character arc, plot, dialogue, and many… How to Write Action Scenes

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]]> One common misconception about writing is that action scenes are easy. You only need to focus on action, you don’t need to worry about character arc, plot, dialogue, and many other storytelling devices that you have to keep in mind while writing every other scene. So this should be way easier, right? The truth is that, if not executed correctly, action sequences can become a common area where readers will skim or even put down your book. Here are some tips on how to write action scenes in a way that will keep your readers engaged.

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Do the Work Beforehand

In order to write an engaging action sequence that keeps readers hooked, the work begins prior to the scene actually taking place. One of the main things that separates a good battle sequence from one that readers will skim through is one that your readers truly care about. And in order to make the readers care, they’ll need to care about your characters and story. That involves putting a lot of leg work into fleshing out the characters and plot, making them creative and engaging, and then by the time readers arrive at the action sequence, you’ve got them right where you want them.

Focus on Emotion

Unlike action in film or television, the action itself isn’t what is going to keep your readers engaged. Unfortunately, action on the page just doesn’t translate the same way as it does on screen. In a film, you can begin with an action sequence that lasts ten minutes before you even meet any of the characters, and not a soul will complain. In a book, however, it can be boring to read an entire chapter of just mindless punching and kicking. Instead of the action itself, the scene should focus on the emotion behind the action. Is a character fighting their former best friend? Are they trying to save someone they care about? Are they trying to obtain an object of great emotional significance to them? Focus on what is emotionally at stake for the character and the action itself should be happening around that.

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Pay-off

Additionally, you want an action sequence to feel like a pay-off for the reader. As stated previously, action in books can’t be the same mindless fun as it is in film. Instead, when deciding what action scenes are necessary in your manuscript, focus on including ones with the most pay-off. For example, if your protagonist has some snide interactions with a character throughout the book, all of a sudden finding themselves faced with fighting them. Or the final showdown with the villain of your series or maybe a fight with a character who had a hand at killing your protagonist’s parents.

Having your protagonist spend ten minutes fighting one random guard is just going to result in your readers skipping around. If, however, their fight has the potential for a pay-off for them or for their character arc, the readers will remain engaged.

Stakes

Similar to the pay-off, high stakes are another way to keep your readers engaged during an action sequence. Perhaps your protagonist has to scale the side of a building to break in. Or maybe they get into a bar fight with a group of their friends, glass bottles being broken and stepped on all over the place. Perhaps they run into a very deadly and unearthly creature that they once believed was a myth. And their conflict results in the breaking of a priceless artifact. Having something at stake within the fight, something that both the characters and readers care about, will allow readers to remain enthralled.

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Language

In addition to all of the story components that add to an action sequence, your writing style and the language you use must adapt as well. When writing other scenes, the language can be flowery with lots of adverbs and time spent on minute details. In action sequences, the opposite should occur. Your sentences should be choppy and short as it creates more of a sense of urgency for the reader. You should also limit your use of adverbs and try to keep minute descriptions to a minimum unless they relate to the action of the scene.

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]]> Writing Exercises: Objects https://www.dorrancepublishing.com/writing-exercises-objects/ Thu, 08 Nov 2018 10:00:20 +0000 http://www.dorrancepublishing.com/?p=2556 As writers, our number one goal at all times is to further character development in our stories. This focus is fantastic, but it can cause us to overlook other aspects… Writing Exercises: Objects

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]]> As writers, our number one goal at all times is to further character development in our stories. This focus is fantastic, but it can cause us to overlook other aspects of storytelling like objects and scenery. Well, what if we told you that you can use objects to reveal character? Think about it: how much can you learn about someone from the contents of their purse or pockets? Or by what their room looks like? Someone who has a Led Zeppelin poster in their room is going to be very different from someone who has a Keith Urban one. See…you’re already making assumptions based on those objects alone. Using these inanimate tools is a fantastic way to reveal character by showing rather than telling (which is the most unbiased way to do it). Here are some writing exercises to teach you how to put personality in your character’s purse:

Objects sitting on table

1. Pick an object that is ugly, and create a character who finds it very beautiful. Have the character describe the object in a way that convinces the reader of its beauty. Now write a second version where you choose a very beautiful object from the POV of a character who finds it ugly. Convince the readers that it’s ugly. For example, a character who finds an old running shoe beautiful or another who finds a sunset ugly. The way your character reacts to certain stimuli tells the reader a great deal about who they are and what makes them unique.

2. Write down five emotions on slips of paper and slip them into a hat (or whatever you have handy). Don’t write simple ones like ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ though, try to think of more complicated feelings like ‘grief’. Now go outside and find a tree. Draw one emotion from the hat, and try to describe that tree from the perspective of a character feeling that emotion. Here’s the catch though: don’t mention the emotion in your writing — try to describe the tree so the reader could guess the emotion that the character is feeling.

Empty picture frame
3. Describe a character’s bedroom in such a way that it tells us about a person’s greatest fears and hopes. For example, a character who has a college application on their desk and has a box under their bed labeled ‘KEEP OUT’. A person’s belongings can tell us a lot about them. What would your character have in their room?

4. Root through your desk drawer until you find a strange object- an object that would probably not be in other people’s drawers. Have a character who is devastated to find this object, and tell the story of why this object devastates them. For example, let’s say you have an old grocery list in your desk drawer. Maybe your character finds this and is devastated because it was written by his nanna who passed away a few months prior. Maybe the contents make him think of all the times his Nana made him those very foods. Objects can be a great way to bring back different emotions, foreshadow, or show guilt. This is your opportunity to play around with that!

old lamp
5. Do some research online and choose a piece of art you’ve never seen before. Now imagine a living room inspired by that piece of artwork, and show the room after a husband and wife have had the worst fight of their marriage. Without specifically saying what happened in the room, use the objects to reveal why the room is in the state it’s in (for example, there’s a picture of the couple broken on the floor or the contents of the wife’s purse poured onto the ground).

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