Fantasy Writing: Creative Writing Exercise Seven

Exercise Seven. Immediacy; bringing your reader into the action. Whenever you write, your aim is to keep the reader riveted, forcing them to turn the next page. So compare these sentences.

The cavern shook. Caleath fell and was blinded by the light. The smell was so bad he felt ill. Clutching the sword, he waited till the shock passed. The cavern shook. A pulse of energy knocked Caleath to the ground. Noise, so loud his ears bled, battered his senses. Intense light seared through eyelids though he covered his face with his arm. The smell of molten gold, of death and corruption made him want to vomit. With his hands clutching the sword, he cowered until the initial shock passed. We want to show the reader what happened, give them an idea of how our hero feels. Consider how in this second example the writer has offered us more insight into the hero’s actions. We have information about what he sees, hears, tastes, smells and feels. Can you see how this involves the reader by drawing them into the scene? This has changed the Point of View from omniscient to limited character. Try writing a scene from different POV and see how an author can distance or involve their readers using this device. Remember to consider different senses as you write. Descriptions need not be as long as this example. They can be included as part of dialogue tags. (remember dialogue tags are , he said, she said.) Rather than:

“Magic caused the storm?” Caleath whispered thoughtfully. “Yeah.” He said with a frown. “You might be right.”

“Always,” Raul laughed. “Besides my young friend, you have seen the signs. You must know who our hero is. Why do you question his integrity?”

“He’s the smith?” The boy nodded and then scowled. “What signs?”

To involve the reader and add descriptions of actions and emotion, we take the point of view of the character and offer the reader samples of what ‘he’ experiences.

“Magic caused the storm?” Caleath spoke in a whisper as he eased his weight onto one elbow and accepted a bowl of stew from the youth. “Yeah.” He searched his memory analyzing the feeling the strange tempest instilled in him. “You might be right.”

“Always,” Raul laughed. “Besides my young friend, you have seen the signs. You must know who Caleath is. Why do you question his integrity?”

“He’s the smith?” The youth wiped thick gravy from the spoon and licked his finger. Caleath could feel the boy’s gaze bore through him as he chewed on a chunk of venison and forced himself to breathe. “What signs?” Try to add a little information at each opportunity, rather than paragraphs dedicated to descriptions alone, but don’t over do it. Remember to drive the plot forward. Always keep reading. Watch how people behave, speak and move. Do they have habits you can use for your characters? This will help to make your characters real and let the reader feel more a part of your writing.

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