POINT OF VIEW AS A TOOL
This and last week’s podcast is based on an article written by author and former ICL instructor Chris Eboch which touches on engaging your reader and gives some strong examples. In our episode 150, we talked about using vivid nouns and verbs instead of vague description to engage your reader in your story. In part two, we’re delving into using point of view for the purposes of showing.
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CONVEY THE WORLD OF YOUR STORY
An important part of setting the stage for your story is to convey the world of your story in a way that engages the reader and doesn’t just dump a bunch of facts in their lap. I recently read an article written by author and former ICL instructor Chris Eboch that touches on this point with some strong examples. It’s so good, we’ll be talking about it for two weeks. Let’s get started with part one.
Listen to Part 2 here: www.instituteforwriters.com/sophisticated-show-and-tell-part-2
GIVE YOUR CHARACTERS SOMETHING TO DO
Summed up to its essential core, a plot is the result of applying pressure to a character to the degree that the character must act in reaction to the pressure. The pressure you apply and the reaction to it will be directly tied to the character you’ve created.
An impulsive, brave, active child will take very little pressure to be pushed into an adventure, but an “easy” plot like that is rarely very satisfying for the reader. Let's talk about ways to up the pressure and keep your readers engaged.
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HOW TO EVOKE DETAIL IN YOUR WRITING
Today we’re talking about the art of description. This episode is inspired by Assignment 3 in the Writing for Children and Teens course. We’re going to focus on evoking in detail a particular place you remember from your childhood. That word “detail” is important, because, if you think about it, specifics are what bring a subject to life on the page—and the elements that make for interesting reading.
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AN INTERVIEW WITH EMMA D. DRYDEN
Emma D. Dryden founded drydenbks LLC (www.drydenbks.com), a premiere children’s editorial & publishing consultancy firm, after 25 years experience as editor and publisher of Margaret K. McElderry Books and Atheneum Books for Young Readers, imprints of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. We are thrilled to bring you her expertise on setting and world building in this month's interview.
We talk about:
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