Yup, I'm late posting again this Monday. Things have been a little hectic. Last week I was helping out at my grandson's band camp. Prepping, serving, and cleaning up lunch and dinner every day for 120 hungry marching band members and staff.
Then this weekend I was out with our local disaster recovery team helping an elderly couple who had major wind damage in their yard.
It's wonderful to be able to help but this morning, I'm really dragging.
However...on to the topic of the day,
more from the PSWA Conference.
(By the way, I finally figured out how to get pictures out of my phone.)
Pouring through my notes, it's hard to decide what to share. Today, I'm going with some excellent tips on adding realism to your story. These are from a panel presentation by Michelle Perin, Kathleen Ryan, Janet Greger, Madeline Gornell, Michael Angley, Steve Scarborough and Ellen Kirschman.
Setting -
- Use or create a map(s) of your setting and post it near your writing spot. Add photos or postcards to keep your visuals fresh in your mind.
- Visit the setting location when possible.
- Research geography (Google Satellite maps are good for this) and weather patterns. If you visit your site in summer, but set your story in winter, make sure you make the correct adjustments.
- Use your characters' reactions to the setting rather than describing it to help the reader feel the surroundings.
- Use attributes of people you like when creating your protagonist. Use attributes of people you dislike for your antagonist.
- Include speech patterns in your characters' profiles.
- Give your character a birth date and use the traits from the appropriate astrological sign.
Of course, attending any writers' conference always means getting together with friends and making new ones. Here I am with Conference Program Chair Marilyn Meredith and a new friend, author Sharon Arthur Moore.
The Official Answers to Last Week's Riddles
1. The River Ravi flows in which state? - Liquid.
2. What is the main reason for divorce? - Marriage (hard to have a divorce without one)
3. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become? - Wet
My thanks to everyone who gave them a try (with or without offering your answers). How about you? Did you get them all? Two? One? Care to try again on Wednesday?
Thought for the Day:
THE THINGS THAT COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT MAY BE THE THINGS LEFT BY THOSE WHO GOT THERE FIRST.
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