I recently had the opportunity to guest write for HannahLinderBooks.com. To read the full article click the link at the bottom!
A key component of fiction writing is the ability to create vivid, descriptive settings that form life-like worlds inside your reader’s minds. Without a grounded setting, characters exist in a fictional white space, preventing the reader from immersing themselves in your story. Here are three tips for creating vivid fictional settings:
Step 1: Use All Five Senses
A common mistake among writers is to rely too heavily on the sense of sight when creating fictional settings. Writers describe how a place looks but often leave out how it sounds, smells, feels, and tastes. Engaging multiple senses when describing settings will greatly heighten the reader’s immersion. Consider the description below:
The interior of the barn was dimly lit, with haybales and rusted-out buckets scattered here and there across the floor.
This description is passable, but it can be better. Take a look at the revision below.
The interior of the barn was dimly lit and musty, with ancient timbers groaning overhead and cold wind whistling through chinks in the wall. The soggy floorboards sank with every step and the air was thick with the stench of wet hay.
Because this description engages more of the senses than simply sight, we get a strong feel of the barn, rather than just a bland mental image.
