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mary rosenblum
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Hello all.
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you had a great
weekend!
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. Today
we're talking about using your senses in description. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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tkat_2
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how was your weekend?
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mary rosenblum
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It was great, tkat. I mailed
my final revision of Eternity Shift back to Tor, well ahead of my contract
deadline, so now I can think wiht my whole brain again. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I managed to remove 19,000
redundant words, too, to bring it down to 113,000.
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christopher dale
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Big cograts, Mary... :-D You
earned 1 Mad Monkey Face for that. }8-{|}
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mary rosenblum
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Thanks, Chris. And it has
stopped raining. I think the weather gods were helping me keep my attention
on the ms is all.
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mary rosenblum
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So let's talk about using the
senses in your description...
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mary rosenblum
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both fiction and personal
narrative nonfiction.
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mary rosenblum
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From a lot of the prose you
read, one would think we only have two senses...sight and hearing.
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mary rosenblum
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And you're missing a lot of
power by ignoring smell and taste and touch.
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mary rosenblum
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Both smell and taste are
highly evocative of memory to us humans.
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mary rosenblum
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If you thik about it, thre are
probably certain smells that will instantly connect you to a moment in your
past.
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christopher dale
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- For me, one of the hardest
senses for me use is smell... Could be due to my nose, which don't work all
that well.. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Most novice writers tend to
forget about those three senses, espcially smell...
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mary rosenblum
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with is the one that is most
easily used in prose.
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mary rosenblum
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Your characters are breathing
all the time. :-) They may not be eating right now, or touching anything
particularly notable, but they ARE smelling all the time.
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christopher dale
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seriusly, my nose doesn't work
that well. How can *I* describe a smell *I* can't smell? If it is stong
enough, I can...
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mary rosenblum
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Were you born that way, Chris?
Birth defect?
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christopher dale
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- Yes...
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mary rosenblum
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ooo...that is a problem, then.
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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You're sort of stuck with
something that everybody else tells you has meaning...
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mary rosenblum
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jasmine scent as your
character enters a garden...
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mary rosenblum
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the smell of disinfectant and
illness in a hospital corridor.
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mary rosenblum
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You ARE sort of stuck using
second hand info here...but that's no excuse for the rest of you who can
smell...or could when you were younger! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I have a writer friend who has
NO sense of smell (and thus almost no sense of taste beyond
salt/sour/sweet/umame, but she can reach back for childhood memories of
smell and taste.
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christopher dale
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Jasmine scent I can kinda
figure. There is this slightly sickly-sweet sense of my Jasmine Tea I get
when I first open the box. It's that strong...
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mary rosenblum
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And, to be honest, it's not a
matter of personal taste so much as striving for a universal.
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mary rosenblum
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The smell of cotton candy may
make most people think of the circus, county fair, something like that.
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mary rosenblum
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That's a pretty good universal
experience...as is buttered popcorn for movie theater...that disinfectant
and illness for a hospital..
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mary rosenblum
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what it DOES is it makes the
reader think of that smell, and quite probably will intensify the reality
of that scene for your reader.
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mary rosenblum
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Since scent is so often
tightly linked to personal experience even if we don't consciously
aknowledge it.
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bengalrose
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I spent the weekend preparing to
refinance my house. "Where's our '04 tax returns?" I shouted
through the musty cloud of paper dust filling the room as the fire of a
recent paper cut burned my index finger. My wife shrugged. "I'm too
busy scrounging for the deed." ....Uuugh! ;-)
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mary rosenblum
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Good sensory details. You
might not want to use BOTH in such a trivial scene...I'd go with the paper
dust or the musty smell of old paper...
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mary rosenblum
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Actually, a few writing books
I've seen tell novices to use ALL FIVE senses in every scene...
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mary rosenblum
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and that can get very
contrived very quickly.
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mary rosenblum
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Some scenes...action scenes,
highly dramatic or emotional moments...simply should not include all
senses.
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mary rosenblum
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The POV character is way too
focused on the moment to notice that paper cut or smell of paper dust for
example.
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mary rosenblum
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But on the other hand, scent
can back up the emotional overtones in a scene.
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tkat_2
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The strong smell of an unwashed
body is overpowering. I worked around children and I can imagine the parent
tnat couldn't smell their kids.
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mary rosenblum
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And that smell can give the
reader a LOT of information.
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mary rosenblum
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Say your POV walks into a
strange house, smells dirty diapers and unwashed kids.
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mary rosenblum
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What do we know about the
people who live there? Lots.
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christopher dale
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She awkoe to the please sweet
smell of fresh honeysuckle and ozone-like fresh rain, she knew she was
home.
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mary rosenblum
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Good, but trim it a
bit...trust your reader.
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mary rosenblum
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She woke to the sweet smell of
honeysuckle and the ozone-smell of rain. Home, she thought.
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mary rosenblum
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Of course it's fresh...we'll
see it growing outside unless you tell us otherwise, and I would simply
avoid 'like' unless you really need to use it to make sense.
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mary rosenblum
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We'll know that the character
is telling us that the smell is 'like' ozone...you don't have to spell it
out.
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mary rosenblum
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And that's another universal,
by the way...that smell of rain.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. Today
we're talking about using your senses in description. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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mary rosenblum
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Smell can do a number of
things...
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mary rosenblum
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it can give us
information...that house with the smell of dirty diapers, unwashed kids,
and maybe rotting food.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't have to tell the
reader a thing about how these people live!
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mary rosenblum
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They get the idea.
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mary rosenblum
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It can remind the reader of
his/her own, similar experience and thus link your made-up scene...
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mary rosenblum
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quite directly to an actual
experience that the reader had...
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mary rosenblum
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Amie slipped through a crack
in the tent canvas, breathing cotton candy and elephant.
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mary rosenblum
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That's going to bring circus
to live for the majority of your readers.
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wolf122
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Lack of smell can be important
cues--the brain ignores certain smells after a while (unwashed body, smell
of home, etc.). The MC may pick up on a smell the other characters might
not. . .
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mary rosenblum
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Of course.
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mary rosenblum
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The people who live in that
dirty house don't notice the smells, but when your MC enters a scene,its'
something he/she is going to notice.
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mary rosenblum
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And if you don't add it, it
will subtly detract from the reality of your scene...
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mary rosenblum
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even if your readers can't put
their fingers on WHY it doesn't seem quite real.
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redraven
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Maybe the mom has the flu
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mary rosenblum
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Sure. It's the story's job to
explain the situation, but as our MC smells these odors, we can instantly
visualize a particular scene.
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mary rosenblum
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And you have saved yourself a
lot of description right off the bat...
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mary rosenblum
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you can add in details to
bring the scene to life, but you don't have to set it up..the smells gave
us the foundation.
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tkat_2
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Even though the last litter of
German Shepherd pups were sold six months ago, the utility room where they
were kept carried their odor especially when it rained.
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roe
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When Lydia opened the door,
she took a step back. The strong odor of dirty diapers and dog hit her full
in the face
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mary rosenblum
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Yep, those are good examples.
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mary rosenblum
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And that odor of diapers and
dog leads us to expect something...
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gwanny
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The late afternoon sun streaked
through the blinds, across my Uncles face, his skin the colors of an old
tortoishell; mottled brown and yellow
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mary rosenblum
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Nice visual of color, gwanny.
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mary rosenblum
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Now see if you can give us the
texture of his skin as your POV touches him. :-)
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roe
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Another smell, something she
couldn't pinpoint. Burnt wood, that was it. And the overpowering smell of
death as she moved into the kitchen.
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mary rosenblum
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Nice. And what this does is to
give us the reality of someone in a new and probably, I'm guessing,
threatening situation.
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mary rosenblum
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We have a lot of instinctive
behaviors that we don't think about much.
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mary rosenblum
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But as a writer, pay attention
to them.
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mary rosenblum
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When we're unsure, nervous,
entering a new situation, we do tend to be more aware of noises and smells.
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mary rosenblum
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When we are in a 'fight or
flight' state...dealing with an immediate crisis...
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mary rosenblum
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we tend to ignore all outside
stimuli that are not directly part of that crisis we're dealing with.
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christopher dale
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Awakening to the stench of
rotting wood and dead fish, he tried to raise humself up. Grabbing the back
of his head, he allowed himself to sink back down. At least there wasn't
any blood.
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mary rosenblum
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And that's a good example of
setting the scene when your MC just isn't capable of looking around so that
we can see at the moment.
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mary rosenblum
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He's busy with his aching
head, and probably not really looking beyond the end of his nose.
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mary rosenblum
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But that smell of rotting wood
and dead fish most likely tells us that he is not where we left him in the
last scene. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Of if he IS where we left
him...it simply gives us the verisimilitude of someone coming to, their
senses focused internally at first.
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tkat_2
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No one liked cabbage. Mom knew
only one way to cook it. The the stench was so bad, it made my stomach
lurch.
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mary rosenblum
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-) Another universal. Whether
you like it or hate it, most people know what that smell is.
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tkat_2
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when the smell hit me as the bus
driver opened the door
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mary rosenblum
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Except when you tell your
reader 'the smell hit me', you really need to tell them what smell hit you.
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mary rosenblum
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What the reader sees in the
next sentence could do that.
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mary rosenblum
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If it's a bus load of zombies,
we know what smell hit him. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Beware of using 'smell'
vaguely.
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mary rosenblum
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Be specific.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember that 'be specific' is
one of those reminders you should have plastered to your monitor.
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mary rosenblum
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Along with show, don't tell.
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roe
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The smell of burnt wood
irritated my nose. I touched the rough surface of what once was a smooth
walnut table. How could this have happened?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes. These are the kinds of
details that slip in smoothly, don't slow your story down, and really add
to the reality of your scene.
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mary rosenblum
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Next to sight and hearing, I'd
say scent is the most important of the senses in prose.
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mary rosenblum
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And way under used.
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mary rosenblum
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Those of you using
romance...remember that scent plays a huge role in human sexuality.
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mary rosenblum
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If you leave it out of that
intense scene, it really will read flat to most readers...
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mary rosenblum
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and again, they won't know
why.
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mary rosenblum
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Taste is another good detail,
but you will probably have fewer opportunities to use it.
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roe
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He reached up and smoothed her
hair. She loved the woody scent of his aftershave
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mary rosenblum
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Or make it more direct. She
closed her eyes and breathed in the woody scent of his aftershave.
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gwanny
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His skin, ulcerated and broken,
was difficult for me to touch. I am ashamed at my disgust and pray to God
that my Uncle cannot sense my repugnance.
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mary rosenblum
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That's good. It's a
narrative...your POV is telling us. Let's let her TOUCH him. Hmmm...
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mary rosenblum
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I helped him into his pajamas,
my fingers wincing at his scabby, flaccid skin. I swallowed shame at my
disgust and prayed to God that he couldn't sense it.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. Today
we're talking about using your senses in description. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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bengalrose
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It was a glorious San Francisco afternoon,
the kind of day the tourists always missed when they arrived in the cold,
damp midsummer. But this was September, the magic month and the Mission district buzzed
with sweaty promise. From a corner bar a trumpet blared a song bursting
with Mexican pride. The aroma of carne asada mingled with tarmac, bus
exhaust and beer.
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mary rosenblum
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Nice. You have given us the
heat of the day and the smells of the Mission. As well as our sound and sight.
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roe
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She took a long drink of the
milk and spit it out. "Alright who left the milk out to sour?"
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mary rosenblum
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ooh, yuck! (I HATE sour milk).
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mary rosenblum
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That's good...her reponse
tells us that it's sour, but you can show us, too, so that by the time she
says it, we know.
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mary rosenblum
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She took a mouthful of milk,
choked, and spat it out. "All right! Who left it out to sour?"
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wolf122
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She walked to the counter and
let her hands run through the silk nightgowns. She smiled, her thoughts
drifting in the velvety ocean. A cherry log crackling merrily on the fire
and a bottle of 1970 merlot would complete her plans to seduce John.
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mary rosenblum
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That works. You have created a
very realistic thought-trail from the feel of the nightgowns to thoughts of
that evening seduction.
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mary rosenblum
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I'd probably leave out the 'in
the velvety ocean' just becauase my pacing sense tells me that's one too many
beats of detail for this. :-)
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rcourt929
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but we must be careful of too
much detail...i don't know what carne asada smells like...so i will detach
from the scene yes?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, not really, rcourt.
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mary rosenblum
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What you need to do with your
sensory details is to use as many universals as you can...BUT...you will be
read by a wide range of people.
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mary rosenblum
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I know what carne asada smells
like and yes, for me, it connects very directly to experiences in various
public...
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mary rosenblum
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markets, fiestas, what have
you.
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mary rosenblum
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For a reader like you, it's an
unknown, so it simply flies past...
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mary rosenblum
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but you have other smells you
do know. AND...a lot of readers...
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mary rosenblum
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will simply replace that
unknown 'carne asada' with whatever meat-smell they are familiar with from
local public markets, fairs, what have you.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't want so many unusual
details that very few of your readers have a clue.
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mary rosenblum
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But don't feel you have to
'dumb down' your details so EVERYONE get's em.
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speckledorf
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Actually, you could just have
her ask Who left the milk out...we will get by her action it was nasty:--)
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mary rosenblum
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Sure.
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christopher dale
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Buyilding on Roe's... She took a
long drink of the milk and spit it out, along with something chewy.
"Alright who left the milk out ?"
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mary rosenblum
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Well, yeah, but beware.
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mary rosenblum
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This is one of those cases of
'more is not better'.
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mary rosenblum
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Think about what happens when
you put something really nasty in your mouth.
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mary rosenblum
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You react FAST.
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mary rosenblum
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Most people do NOT take a long
drink and then notice the chewy texture of that clotted stuff...
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mary rosenblum
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the taste bud says 'BAD!"
and the brain says "SPIT" in about one nanosecond. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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When you have that many
details, the action slows down to an unrealistic degree for most readers.
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christopher dale
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Use this one instead... Building
on Roe's... She took a long drink of the milk. Gagging she spit it out. But
not quick enough, her stomach followed the milk.
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mary rosenblum
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Again, that's a very
slow-motion scene. Now if her drink of milk is important, this highlights
it.
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mary rosenblum
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Maybe this is more than
tasting bad milk, this is actually her reaction to having found her
father's body an hour ago..
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mary rosenblum
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so this is important. If it's
not important, it's probably too long and detailed.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember...detail is one of
those things that, like salt, you need to use in appropriate proportion.
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mary rosenblum
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Salt makes food taste good.
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mary rosenblum
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More salt does not necessarily
make it taste better. Only up to a point.
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roe
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I have no idea what it is let
alone what it smells like but from the scene he descibed I'd say it's
something spicy????
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mary rosenblum
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The carne asada...exactly.
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mary rosenblum
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And for those readers who do
not run into it at every local street market, they'll just think 'spicy
grilled meat'.
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jackie7777
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Actually I am going to smell the
rotten milk first.
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mary rosenblum
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Probably, jackie. Although,
realisitically, if you're drinking out of the milk bottle (of course NONE
of us would do this, right, LOL) you probalby wouldn't get the smell...
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mary rosenblum
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before you got the taste.
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mary rosenblum
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Or it might not be that sour.
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mary rosenblum
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Just enough so that when it
hits your tongue you think...uh oh.
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tkat_2
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No one dared say a word, but it
was time she spoke. Wedding nights were supposed to be a blissful, but the
last thing Jessica wanted was someone who smelled like a horse sharing her
bed.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm laughing!
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mary rosenblum
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Try showing the scene to us,
too.
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mary rosenblum
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He put his arms around her and
Jessica wrinkled her nose. Wedding nights...
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. Today
we're talking about using your senses in description. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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mary rosenblum
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Now I really want to put in a
word or three of warning here.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't drive yourself into
writers block trying to add all five senses in your first draft.
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mary rosenblum
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That is not the place to worry
about this level of description.
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mary rosenblum
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Just get the action down.
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mary rosenblum
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Ignore the description part of
it...write what occurs to you and move on.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the editor-brain's job
and you don't want to involve editor-brain in your first draft.
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bengalrose
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A tiny bell chimed as the
elevator doors opened. Ta barely noticed; its vibration was too
insubstantial. Uneasiness pheromones flowed from his pores. Why did humans
insist on erecting such tall structures? He stepped into the reception
room, taking long breaths to suppress a rising sense of vertigo. The floors
were composed of polished granite. Why build into the sky only to bring the
ground up here? He tilted his conical head back to view the ceiling and
quickly averted his gaze. Three meters up, at least. Such vastness. Humans
were strange creatures.
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mary rosenblum
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Bengal that's a very nice example of how to create that SFnal
universe without stopping to tell the reader about it.
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mary rosenblum
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By the time we finish reading
Ta's little scene here, we have a pretty good basic idea of the creature
we've just met.
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mary rosenblum
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He's not good at hearing, he
probably communicates by scent, height is not a comfortable thing fo rthem,
and he's probably fairly short, since a three meter ceiling is 'vast'.
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megger
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The darkness pressed against me
as I felt my way along the wall. Heart pounding, the smell of burnt wax
mingled with the lightest touch of sweat and I knew I was not alone in the
house.
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mary rosenblum
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That's good, meggar.
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mary rosenblum
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I'd use 'hint' instead of
touch, myself.
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mary rosenblum
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You risk making the reader
think he actually felt sweat here...'hint' makes it more clear that she's
smelling it.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. Today
we're talking about using your senses in description. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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mary rosenblum
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And if you ever want a great
example of how much we submerge all senses in sight...
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mary rosenblum
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just spend twenty four hours
wearing a blindfold...no peeking.
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mary rosenblum
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The entire sensory universe
rebalances.
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mary rosenblum
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(and if you ever want to do a
blind POV you'd better do this!)
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bengalrose
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Ooooh! That's really creepy,
megger. Good job. *shivers*
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mary rosenblum
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If you want to write a really
good, creepy scene where your MC is in total darkness, do that blindfold
thing.
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mary rosenblum
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You will notice things that
you really don't notice with your eyes open.
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mary rosenblum
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Touch is another sense that we
tend to TOTALLY ignore in description.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu can use it to intensify
the emotional tint of a scene.
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mary rosenblum
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The clammy brush of the fog
made her shiver.
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mary rosenblum
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Dead branches clawed her face
as she dashed through the woods.
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gwanny
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I was certain that the
corruption of his decaying body contaminated each bite I took, so I ate on
the back steps, the air smelling of lilac and dogwood blossoms.
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mary rosenblum
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And that will add to the
impact of the scene, since we'll think about the smell of rot inside..
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mary rosenblum
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the contrast with the flower
scents is a strong one.
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mary rosenblum
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You can use the sense of
texture/touch to add intensity to a climax moment.
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mary rosenblum
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He picked up the gun, the
metal, heavy, cold in his hand.
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mary rosenblum
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Because we ARE adding details
that the POV wouldn't notice in the heat of action..
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mary rosenblum
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it draws out the moment and
gives us that 'slow motion' sense that you can get when you're under severe
stress.
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redraven
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Her legs stuck to the toilet
seat. Dammit, Peter!
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mary rosenblum
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Laughing!
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mary rosenblum
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Try being a bit more specific
with 'legs' though...that covers a lot of territory. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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The backs of her thighs stuck
to the toilet seat.
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mary rosenblum
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Good...many of us, ahem, will
know that sensation well. LOL
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redraven
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Wouldn't the leg parts that
stuck be obvious?
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mary rosenblum
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You'd be surprised, red...
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mary rosenblum
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and that is why specific
detail is important.
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mary rosenblum
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What 'legs' does is force the
reader to very briefly think about what part of the leg would stick to the
toilet seat.
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mary rosenblum
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No, it doesn''t take much time
to think 'back of the thigh', but it makes the reader THINK...rather
than...
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mary rosenblum
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simply experiencing the images
as they appear in his/her brain.
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mary rosenblum
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It's like 'lunch'.
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mary rosenblum
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The reader has to think
briefly about what in particular the character is eating.
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mary rosenblum
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Maria ate lunch...makes us
pause to create details.
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mary rosenblum
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Maria wolfed a handful of
crackers.
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mary rosenblum
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We simply see what's
happening.
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gwanny
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her thick legs...or her scrawny
legs...or her atrophied legs...
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mary rosenblum
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Yep...if we haven't seen much
of her before, this is a great chance to add that bit of detail
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. Today
we're talking about using your senses in description. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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mary rosenblum
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After you've written your
first draft and you're happy with the structure of your story...
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mary rosenblum
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you've made whatever plot
changes you need to make...
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mary rosenblum
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then go through your ms and
pay attention to details, dialogue, those sorts of details.
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mary rosenblum
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Can you add a bit of scent
here and there? The rough feel of tweed as she buttons her coat?
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mary rosenblum
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The crunch of frost under her
feet?
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mary rosenblum
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Don't go overboard. Too much
salt ruins an omelet. Add details appropriate to the intensity and action
of the scene...
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mary rosenblum
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not just to see how many
details you can cram in! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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A vivid scent or taste or
sense of texture can make a scene very memorable for a reader.
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mary rosenblum
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Or...as with our carne
asada...it can miss and just be a detail.
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mary rosenblum
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But the more and varied
details you add, the more you will score those 'hits' that add a much
richer reality for your readers
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mary rosenblum
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Be specific...
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mary rosenblum
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The house doesn't smell.
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mary rosenblum
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It smells of mildew and cat
box.
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bengalrose
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How 'bout this one.......We
passed the jailhouse at the end of High Street and turned onto a trail
etched by two parallel tracks worn into the earth by countless wagon
wheels. With the sheltering walls of the town gone, the wind snatched the
breath right from my mouth. The rain poured; the trees shook. The
reverend’s hat, ripped loose by the gale, clung to his neck by a thin
leather cord. My long, black dress pressed against my legs and chest and
trailed at my back. Every footfall sank into ankle-deep mud with a sound
like slipping inside someone’s bowels.
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mary rosenblum
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Oooh, love that final simile!
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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I would be careful of using
that one, by the way, unless you want to add that sense of gross to this
particular scene. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And of course, you POV has to
know that that sounds like, so just how DID she learn that sound? :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But yes, that's a scene with a
lot of sensory input.
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mary rosenblum
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We will most of us be able to
evoke that memory of being caught in a pouring rain...
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mary rosenblum
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the feel of wet clothes
plastered to us...
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gwanny
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except I don't have any idea
what slipping in someones bowels would sound like, thank God...lol
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mary rosenblum
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Most readers wont, so what
WILL come through here is 'gross'.
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mary rosenblum
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Would be a great detail for a
horror story. :-)
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tension
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You don't find the description
overdown?
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mary rosenblum
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Depends on its use in the
story, tension.
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mary rosenblum
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If it's there as a pause
between peaks of intense action, simply meant to set the scene richly, then
it's probably not overdone.
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mary rosenblum
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If it's part of a longer scene
with rising action, then it probably is overdone. Can't tell, out of context
like this.
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bengalrose
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Trust me...it fits the story.
Paranormal romance/thriller.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, there you go. In the
context of a paranormal story with, I assume, ghosts and possibly graphic
details of gore, that suits the tone of the story.
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tension
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love to read that!
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mary rosenblum
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Talk to bengal. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Again...remember that detail
relates to pacing.
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mary rosenblum
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What is overdone in one
context is appropriate in another.
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mary rosenblum
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You should not have the same
level of detail in every scene in your story.
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mary rosenblum
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Sometimes you will use more,
othertimes, less.
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guestspeaker
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Hi. I know I'm early
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mary rosenblum
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Aha.
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guestspeaker
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I wanted to make sure FireFox
worked
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mary rosenblum
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Meet Robert Rosenwald folks.
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mary rosenblum
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My guest for
Thursday...Poisoned Pen Press.
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guestspeaker
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Shall I go and log back in at
2:as we planned?
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mary rosenblum
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This is fine. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I was just finishing my Forum.
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guestspeaker
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I'm not sure what you mean by
everything but I can certainly read all communication
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mary rosenblum
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You get a little advance PR.
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mary rosenblum
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That's what I meant.
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gwanny
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Welcome Mr. Rosenwald, I look
forward to your interview
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bengalrose
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Hi Robert. Thanks for stopping
by.
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roe
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Hi Robert
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mary rosenblum
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And these are what questions
look like.
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guestspeaker
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Hi all. I look forward to it
too
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mary rosenblum
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Everything looks good for
Thursday.
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roe
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See we're a welcoming bunch.
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bengalrose
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So, what does Poisoned Pen Press
publish?
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guestspeaker
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Mysteries
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mary rosenblum
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Very high quality, too. As I
recall, you've seen your authors win quite a few awards...or at least end
up as major nominees.
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guestspeaker
|
We've been very fortunate.
Over the last 18 months 40% of all we've published have received a starred
review from PW, LJ, Kirkus or Booklist
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mary rosenblum
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For those of you who are new
to the publishing universe, that is excellent...those are the reviewers...
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guestspeaker
|
Several major noms and few
winners
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mary rosenblum
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who matter, and a Starred
review is a big deal.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, that was a nice preview
for Thursday, folks.
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mary rosenblum
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Poisoned Pen Press is the top
small press mystery publisher out there.
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mary rosenblum
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I was very pleased that Robert
agreed to come visit with us.
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speckledorf
|
Sounds like a nice guest!
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mary rosenblum
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I think he'll be able to give
us a lot of insight into the mystery publishing world, small press
publications, and what an editor looks for in a good mystery.
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you all can make it.
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mary rosenblum
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Have a good week, all!
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