Writing tip for the day 8/19/2009

The writing tip for the day is to write descriptive scenery that sets the tone in either the opening act of a screenplay or a creative writing piece. The goal is to draw in the reader using strong visual descriptions.

Many writers try to concentrate too much on dialogue instead of devoting their time to establishing a setting. Work on visually describing your surroundings, but try to use similes, metaphors, and also make sure to retrieve a thesaurus to spark your creative style.

Visual description makes cinema both dynamic and visually refreshing. Novels also rely on strong visual description to stimulate a reader"s senses. Try to be a descriptive as possible because the audience and readers will appreciate your effort.

Time and space gives a story an identity. Horror films start off with describing an event, a creepy home, forest, and or in a nightmare within a dream. As seen above, the ship deck looks spooky, spreading the outside light evenly, and narrowing the beam to create a dark tone. In an opening scene of a script or book, clearly describe the events to orientate the audience and readers about the developing story.

Look outside, go to the beach, or take a drive; try to describe the environment around you in a way that captures the imagination. Instead of just only describing the setting in simple form, do so with using prose to set a tone.

Whether you're writing a screenplay or a novel, focus on delivering a stylish feel to the audience. Ditch the dialogue for this writing exercise. Tell a story using visual narrative to set the tone.

Have fun writing writing visual description!