So, yesterday, I got maybe 600 words typed up, maybe some more. I did meet my dare and write nothing but 500 words of Hessir wandering through the woods, so I added some description to the book :3 Buuuut, I am back at being 5k behind my goal. Grrr. I am determined to write MOAR!
Here's a writing tip for everyone that helps me get description in even when the running pace of NaNo demands I get to the plot and not take a breather:
1. Take a couple deep breaths.
2. Don't panic here, but I'm actually telling you to pull away from your NaNo. Not for long, just a few minutes. Think of a book you read that had lots of detailed descriptions about places, people, things, etc. (preferably related to your novel's genre, but not necessary) and open it up. Read a few of those descriptions.
3. Pay attention to how the author transits from action to description. How does the author describe a scene without making you feel as if you're being totally pulled away from the book?
When he rounded the tower to its other side, he saw stones of the same color all tossed about a rocky, weed conquered hill of scraggly earth. And it struck him then that the tower was merely a piece of a puzzle. These were ruins. A great castle or something of that sort once stood here, now lain to waste by calamity and nature.
And now that he had stopped for a while, he could smell smoke.
Curious, Hessir followed the smell until he could actually see a white, wispy trail of it rising above the ruins, and then he went on further until he came to its source, which turned out to be a small clearing. The stone formed four massive walls that shaped a square sunken into the earth: the hollowed out shell of what may have been a room at some point. And in this thing that was once a house, there was a fire pit in the middle burning away, attended by a black-cloaked figure, and a horse that breathed smoke.
4. Change up the scenery to make it more interesting.
In the above example, I originally just had Hessir walking through the trees till he found a clearing where the man and his horse were. But then I decided I wanted more description, and threw in a bit of mystical mystery by plopping a ruin into the deeper parts of the forest.
5. Not all scenery is the same.
Do you have any woods nearby? What are they like? Bright and green? Dark and gloomy? Why are they gloomy? Are there massive spiderwebs all around? Is there a brook? Is the ground covered in pine needles? Is it covered in leaves? Is it too early for fallen leaves? Can sunlight get through the top? Are there lots of plants growing between the trees?
Woods are always changing too. There will be hills, dried riverbeds, pine groves, little streams after a heavy rain, patches of marsh, fields, meadows, clearings. And also, remember, there are hundreds of more trees out there than oak and pine. Obviously quick check what climate they grow in, but maybe throw an ash or yew or spruce into the mix.
6. Make use of the five senses.
Everyone says it, and we all wave this one away too quickly. Five senses really do help. You don't need to mention every single one in every scene, but changing it up would help. Maybe your character passes by a fishery. Maybe your character's cloak is starting to itch. Maybe your character got accidentally sprayed by perfume when he passed a women's beautification stall. Maybe your character bought a roll and is just munching on it as he goes along. Perhaps the town is so overpowered by the sea that he can practically taste the saltwater in the air.
7. If possible, throw in a bit of history. Only do so if your character would know about this history. It can be handy to give your random locations a bit more permanence to them. Then the forests won't all just blend together, the ruins won't just be tossed up rubble, the fjords won't just be any old fjords. They will be "that fjord where the Great Black Army crossed in their ride against the vampire lord" or "this forest was once a great city before it was laid to ruin". Things like that. It will help readers connect with the locations as your characters visit them. They will say "oh yah, trolls attacked them when they were in there. Maybe it will happen again..."
But don't info dump us on every, single location. Again, if it is common knowledge to everyone, the characters probably won't be too hung up on the story of the place. Leave just enough detail to give readers an idea, but maybe don't give away the whole story.
...it was said that a mighty god descended from the storm, brandishing a war hammer, and struck a mighty blow to the mountain that cleaved it in half, sending shards of icy rock flying all around...
I'm not telling you WHY it happened, I'm just saying it did. It tells something of the character of the mountain without boring you to tears. Maybe later I'll drop hints on the whole story, maybe I won't. Whichever the case, I'll leave you interested and guessing.
So those are my pointers on writing description. What are yours?
2:14
So, I was looking through my photos and I found this...
Ahh, the memories...
2:43
Voices.
Voices are one of the hardest things to describe in writing.
Ugh.
I am hopelessly in love with roughly 5 voices, one of them being fake, and I really like 1 others.
Mamoru Miyano
Voice Actor: Kiba "Wolf's Rain", Zero "Vampire Knight", Kuro "Kurozuka", Riku "Kingdom Hearts", Light Yagami "Death Note", Tamaki "Ouran High School Host Club", and a hundred other things.
He does the dark, emotionless characters very, VERY well, but he also delivers a lot of pain to his voice too that just breaks my heart. Love it ^^
Kuro's Flashback from "Kurozuka"
Vic Mignogna
Edward Elric.
Nuff said.
No, seriously, FMA is the only anime where I actually did not like the sub. Vic's voice is absolutely perfect for Edward. I'm not in love with it, but I do love it all the same, and it has a special place in my heart.
Ogihci's Voice
Bleach
I have NO idea who did the voice. my best guess is that it was Masakuza Morita but just heavily, heavily altered with digital stuff.
Seriously, I LOVE this voice. It's so twisted, but beautiful in a soul-disturbing way.
The King and His Horse speech from "Bleach"
Jude Law
Voiced: Pitch Black in "Rise of the Guardians". Plays as Wason in the new Sherlock Holmes movies.
I love the deep, smooth voice with the British accent. I absolutely melt when I hear it.
Sorry, I could not find one of his speeches, but you hear his voice in the trailer :3
Samuel Witwer
Voice of Darth Maul
The smooth tones. The darkness. The evil. And the horrible emotion thrown in. This voice is why I'm in love with the genius, brutal dark lord of the Sith ^^
Sorry if this video gives spoilers away to anyone watching the Clone Wars show...
I guess...
Because it gave rise to the creation of a male version of the song "Still Doll" by Kanon Wakeshima, the first closing theme for Vampire Knight.
And oh, wasn't that a great idea.
How it works is you take a music file and turn the pitch lower. Not all songs actually turn out sounding right when this is done, but Kanon Wakeshima's voice is high enough naturally that it can sound like a tenor male without the sound quality overall going to pot.
I love this voice SO, SO much. "His" voice makes me melt. Like Jude Law, only he's singing.
Or she's singing... I don't get how this works... anyway, enjoy!
(sorry for the odd video... this is the best version of the song without me uploading my own altered song to youtube...)
And those are my six favorite voices/ voices I'm in love with. What are your guys' favorite voices?
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