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Ginny Wiehardt
Ginny's Fiction Writing Blog

By Ginny Wiehardt, About.com Guide to Fiction Writing

Questions for Better Descriptions

Saturday July 4, 2009
Continuing with our description theme, we look at how questions can jog your memory to help you come up with key details. Ask yourself the most naïve questions possible to access the sensory cues that conjure the situation for a reader (and that in life we absorb subconsciously): What sounds evoke the scene for you? What smells? What images? What physical responses would you have to this situation? See how this plays out with the example in the link above.
Comments
July 9, 2009 at 11:12 am
(1) JoAnne Schlicker says:

This works for remembering past events as well. What are the smells, sounds, words, colors, tastes, and sensations of childhood, or some other era of your life you are trying to write about. Well said.

July 16, 2009 at 12:18 am
(2) mary chrostowski says:

was glad to read the story about sounds, smells, as I wrote a story never thought of putting any of that in. see when I write a story I just get it down on paper and then read it back to myself and find out I left out those most important things. Thanks

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