Layer the finishing details: Sensory Details.

The mason lathers mortar on the last brick and slaps it in place. 

Your eyes widen. Your heart beats a frantic rhythm. A smile lights up your face. “Wow! Hello house!” 

You’re excited because you know the end is near. But the house isn’t done yet. Other things need to happen on the inside before you can move in. Final tasks like painting, installing cabinets and appliances.

The same goes for our writing. We’ve cemented our foundation and joined cohesive elements, but for our story to light up our readers, we must add some finishing touches.

Layer sensory details.
Think back to the last time you received new prescription lenses. How much clearer, more sharp or vivid, was your vision after putting on the new lenses? Sprinkling sensory details makes our writing crisp, brings it into focus, and makes the story literally dance off the page. 
Let’s have some fun. 

How many sensory details can you find in this excerpt from Journey’s Edge?

Her face plowed into an expansive, muscular chest. Strong hands grabbed McKinley’s upper arms. A vague, familiar smell permeated the man’s torso, a citrus and woodsy scent mingled with masculine deodorant. She heard the door close behind her and felt legs wimp out on her. Good thing this guy held her up or she would have sank straight to the floor like a pile of spaghetti. She angled a hand to eject chest hair from her tongue, trying not to make a face.
“Honey, if you’re looking for that kind of action, you’ve got the wrong room.”

Now you try it. In one or two paragraphs, write the following scene with as many sensory details as you can fit in.

After crying herself to sleep, the next morning Delaney follows the scent of coffee and stumbles into her tiny kitchen, frightened to find a man making chocolate chip pancakes. She didn’t know that Sage, a friend she’s secretly been in love with forever, spent the night on the couch. 

Give it a shot. You know you want to try…

Join us next week as we celebrate success, hold a Housewarming Party, and consider our next project.

Adding cohesive elements: Believable Plots, Appropriate Conflict, Setting, Theme.

Last week we talked about building our story on a firm foundation. This week we’re adding cohesive elements by installing walls, windows & doors.

When we built our house, we used a general contractor. Although he visited the site frequently, he rarely participated in actual labor. Instead, he subcontracted the work to various trades. He didn’t expect the plumber to install the air conditioner, or the carpenter who mounted the doors to paint. Sub-contractors added their individual component, their skilled trade, creating another valuable element to the house as a whole. 

Just as different subcontractors work together to contribute essentials to make our house a home, a writer must join various elements for a cohesive story, or risk discord with the reader. Let’s talk about some basic elements, using romance as an example.

Believable plots. 
In romance, we want our readers to journey along with the characters as they fall in love. Unless the characters were in a prior relationship and the fire hasn’t quite burned out, a declaration of love on the fourth page doesn’t work. The same goes for a suspense plot. Readers don’t necessarily care about the heavy technical details, but the plot must be believable.

Appropriate conflict. 
Who wants to read a romance where the main characters constantly argue with each other? Aren’t they supposed to be falling in love? Conflict doesn’t mean regular clashes with one another. Conflict should arise internally, from their dreams and ambitions, their insecurities, and their belief and value system. Externally, what stands in their way of reaching their goals? 

Setting.
Your setting is as fundamental to your story as the siding on your house. Stucco is common in Florida, but stucco would strike a discordant note in North Carolina where the majority of houses have brick or vinyl siding.  

Whether fact or fiction, you can cement the reader into your setting. If your book is set on a tropical island, readers expect salty breezes and palm trees, the lingering scent of suntan lotion, and seafood dinners on a sandy beach. Offering sensory details harmonious with your setting will make the locale more realistic.

Theme.
Whether you write for the inspirational or secular market, a theme should weave through your story, as integral and seamless as the electrical wires running through your house. Simple messages of forgiveness, that it’s never too late, of second chances and rebuilding trust, and that with God all things are possible will resonate with the reader and keep them turning the page.

Join us next week as we discuss adding the finishing details.