Learn to Write: Truly Capture A Setting By Physically Placing Yourself Into A Similar Environment When You Are Writing It

Last week, I talked about how listening to music affects your mood, which, then translates into your writing, in  Learn To Write: Use Music As A Tool By Listening To Music That Matches The Mood Of What You Are Writing.

Now, let’s move on to another simple, ‘outside-of-the-box’ tool to enhance your writing: Your physical location.

Every writer knows that the more vividly that a reader can imagine themselves within a scene, the more successful the work is at doing its job—placing the reader into the world that you have created— therefore, why wouldn’t you take every step possible to make the link between your work and the reader as strong as possible?

            The best way for you to weave the proper string of words to textually illustrate a scene, is to physically place yourself into an environment that gives you the same feeling as the atmosphere of what you are writing.

            For example, in one chapter of my novel, one of the characters was in a damp and cavernous setting. So, I actually went down into my damp and cavernous basement! You would have been amazed at how my words practically spilled off of the page. Why? Because I was no longer dedicating most of my mind to imagining the scene, because, well… I was living it!

In this circumstance, which scene that takes place in a forest would be written more vividly: One that is written by a man who is sitting at his desk, or one written by a woman who is sitting in her backyard, surrounded by trees, the fresh smell of recently fallen rain is filling her nostrils, and the fluttering wings of scattering birds echoes from the sky?

            I think you know the answer.

Again, you don’t have to thrust yourself into a tropical rainforest or a snow-white tundra. If your scene is outdoors, then simply sit outside, and it will increase the quality of your writing, tenfold.

          In summary, in order to be a successful author, you must strive to place your writing past all of the rest, and you can’t pass anyone without taking a few extra steps. So, get your butt up and away from that chair, and stand alongside your characters, wherever they may be!