Please welcome author Jacqui Jacoby as she shares about editing...and she's got a kindle copy of her WITH A VENGEANCE as giveaway for one commentater!
Jacqui Jacoby on the web:
Over to Jacqui now...
The characters come into the room. The POV follows, keeping dialogue pretty close on its tail. As we begin to write our stories, the elements come together to translate our ideas into fiction. The poor guy left standing out on his own, peering in? That would be setting. The largely overlooked backdrop for what is going on in the novel.
Setting is where everything happens.
It’s where the heroine sleeps on those soft blue sheets.
It’s the bar where the hero works: the smoke in the air, the music, the talk and chatter of the people and that guy at the end who had one too many.
It’s the Starship Enterprise with the captain of your choice at command (my favorite is Pickard). Can you image removing the crew to a different ship or even worse, putting them in port or on the ground with the effects as exciting as when they are in space?
The Enterprise is background, but she is background with a personality. She is a part of the story and if you removed her, what would they do?
Creating this kind of environment for our stories takes a little bit more planning then just giving details of where they are all standing. The use of five senses is necessary to draw the reader in. Statistically, scent remains with us longer than any other sense, sometimes going back years. When I smell those orange blossoms, I can still be pulled back to my childhood.
But sight and sound and touch, all of these come into play in creating a setting that comes alive. Feeling the roughness of the bricks we lean against, seeing the fog drift over the lake on a cool morning job.
Settings are not an inactive part of our writing process. A setting is what we have to create to give our characters a place to live. If we can elevate that simple idea to one that develops a personality of its own, then we just did our job and took an extra two steps just for the hell of it.
Jacqui's latest releasing in print from April 1st!
WITH A VENGEANCE
The more she wanted out, the more they dragged her back in!
Daughter to murdered CIA officers, niece to a deputy director, Jaime Walsh has never known life outside the world of espionage. Until a high-action case in Buenos Aires leaves her gutted. Physically, emotionally…and professionally.
She’d planned for her long-overdue vacation to be a time to rest and reassess. With her longtime partner Stephen not far behind, it’s a tropical paradise away from work. A paradise where boundaries will be tested.
From their training days, Stephen Reid has watched Jaime kick ass while performing what has become his second job—watching her back. But now his feelings have grown.
As best friends look at each other in a new light, they like what they see. And Jaime dreams of a new life outside “the company”.
Except someone from their past won’t be satisfied until Jaime and the man she loves are hunted to the brink of death. Now Jaime must find the strength to trust her heart and let go of her fear. Before she loses everything…
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Great tips! Setting is one area I have to think about - doesn't come naturally for me yet. :)
ReplyDeleteIf you don't mind a little horror, I always try to read Dean Kootzs Phantoms to get in the mood. He excelled at it in that book!!
DeleteSetting is very important, and its description helps establish tone and mood. Great post. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lexa. I am glad you liked it. I think setting is a great way to get in the mood. Jaime and Stephen trapped in the jungle ... I never actually had them meet a snake!!
DeleteGreat post! Setting is so vital, and something so easily overlooked. Thanks for the great tips!
ReplyDeleteI think that is right. It is over looked. You don't think of the smoke up near the ceiling or the smell of it and yet those things really draw us in!!
DeleteCongrats to Jacqui on her new release!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate it. Thank you very much.
DeleteMy favorite is Kirk. :)
ReplyDeleteWe're four to one in our family of five. I am the only Pickard!!
DeleteCongrats to Jacqui! The girl on the cover reminds me of someone but I can't think of who. This is going to bug me all day now. ;)
ReplyDeleteI generally tell people I posed for it! LOL
DeleteI definitely need to work more on incorporating all five senses into my scenes. Setting is something that has always been a weakness for me. I tend to assume the reader sees what I see!
ReplyDeleteWord of warning ... not all five at one time. It's the sprinkling of one or two and then moving to the next scene with a different two that really impacts the reader.
DeleteFantastic reminder about how active settings can be. Congrats, Jacqui!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. It has been a wild week that came after years of waiting.
DeleteGood tips! One sense I find is sometimes difficult to incorporate, is smell. You really do have to draw on your imagination and past experiences for it.
ReplyDeleteI took a workshop this last weekend and that is the one they say we have to work the most on. It stays with us longer. Guess I will be working on that, too.
DeleteLove it! And I completely agree. I just got done critiquing a chapter where my main focus was bringing the setting to the forefront through the 5 senses. That's how you really engage a reader in the environment.
ReplyDeleteLet's them know what is going on all around them!!
Delete'tail gets her'. haha, love it. Great excerpt. This is my kind of book, so please make sure I win! LOL. Excellent points, Jacqui. Best of luck with sales.
ReplyDeleteThank you!! In both liking the story and the luck. Now that this one is out, I need it for the next!!
DeleteSounds like a sexy, suspenseful tale. Enjoy much success with this one, Jacqui.
ReplyDeletexoRobyn
Thanks. It's been a pretty fun ride so far. A lot of work but a lot of fun, too.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I agree that the 5 senses have to go into a scene to help it come alive! Wishing Jacqui the best of luck. :)
ReplyDeleteJess
Sounds like an engrossing read. Thanks for telling us about it.
ReplyDelete