Julie B. Cosgrove | The Scenic Route

Today’s readers, and there seems to be fewer and fewer of them out there, are visually oriented. Growing up watching TV and movies, they have now migrated to cyberspace to view You Tube, Pinterest and Facebook. As writers, if we wish to capture their attention, we should write three dimensionally. What do I mean by this? Vivid descriptions that involve the senses help the reader paint the picture of the scene. They can see it in their minds. They interact with the characters. Their noses twitch if the protagonist sneezes in a hump of hay, or their hearts thump harder when the black shadows reveal a hand with a knife. They scrunch their noses as the main character smells the pungent odor of old, sweaty clothes locked in a trunk. Their shoulders shudder when she brushes against a spider web in the dark.

Statistics claim the average American adult will not finish one novel this year. That puts pressure on authors to write vivid page-turners which keep the reader focused and entertained enough to want to spend time with our characters. So many things can pull a reader away. Isn’t it an author’s dream to have someone raise a finger and say, “In a minute, okay? I have to find out what happens.” as their eyes devour the page?

Readers of my novels tell me they experienced a sensation “almost as if I was watching a movie.” I secretly pump my fist. Mission accomplished. After all, I am a product of the TV era as well. (Though, yes, I also claim the title of a bonafide book worm.) I am mostly writing for my peers and younger. If I can snare their interest, I have accomplished my goal.

How to create a visual, scenic experience:

1. First, visualize it yourself and write down what you see, hear, smell, feel. I had the wonderful opportunity to write for a travel website over an eighteen month period. I had to describe the vacation spot from several different aspects: as a couple with children, a business person, and pet owner. I researched each spot until I could “see” it. That helped the folks researching the destination to not only see it as well but choose it for their next trip.

2. Try to eliminate most of the common tags of “he said” and “she asked.” Your punctuation already tells the reader this, so tags are redundant information which pulls the reader from the experience of the storyline. Think of a split-second, mini commercial interrupting a TV show ever few minutes. Instead, use descriptive body language and sensory perceptions to let the reader know who is talking. Here is an example:

Amber huffed some auburn blonde bangs off her forehead. “How dare you ask me that.”

Shawn leaned back in the lawn chair, hands laced behind his head. The orange musk of his aftershave whiffed through the sizzling summer breeze. “Don’t you think I have a right to know?”

She squinted as she turned into the sun to address his question. It haloed him in silhouette so she couldn’t read his face. “No. It’s not as if you have been totally truthful with me.” A moment of stifling silence passed between them. The solar rays heated her chest like a blanket straight from the dryer, yet it didn’t ease her pounding heart. She tucked her lower lip into her teeth, her stomach taut as she awaited his response.

3. Have someone else read the scene and get their honest reaction. Ask them to describe it in their own words. Listen to their recap and take notes. Did they “read” anything into it you could add? Did the wordsmithing convey something you didn’t intend?

4. Act it out. What does it look like, feel like, etc to go through the scene as the POV character?

After a while, it will flow naturally as you retrain your creative mind to write in a vividness that almost allows the reader to reach out and touch your scene. And who knows, your hit novel might end up as a movie. It has happened before!

Giveaway

Readers, how do you like the scenic route? Leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy of HUSH IN THE STORM and the continuation, LEGITIMATE LIES.

About LEGITIMATE LIES

Jen assumes she can escape her past after she testifies against Robert, her human trafficking mogul husband, and enters into witness protection under a new identity. That is until a baby shows up on the stoop of the library where she works, and another man from her past, Tom, appears in her living room. Now she must relocate again under yet another name and memorize a new set of legitimate lies to explain who she is.

When Robert discovers her latest identity, he has other plans for her, such as enslaving her in a Tudor manor in Southern England. The scandalous family secrets she discovers may hold the key to her and the daughter of the manor’s freedom. But first she must tunnel through a myriad of lies, including the dark sin which has held her own heart captive. If the truth is revealed, will it hinder her one chance for happiness?

About Julie B. Cosgrove

Julie B. Cosgrove, a freelance writer, speaker and author, writes regularly for several faith-based websites and publications. Besides Bible studies and devotionals, three of her novels have been published with three more launching within a year. Her most recent, a romantic suspense duo called Hush in the Storm and Legitimate Lies, are published through Prism Book Group and are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble in paperback and e-reader formats.