Monday, September 22, 2014

Lead me on


Good writing keeps the reader interested. It’s about people; it touches emotions and uses sensory details: sight, sound, smell, hearing, taste. Good writing doesn’t TELL right away, it prolongs suspense. Are you up to the challenge? Will you choose one, or as many as you want,
and finish the sentence?

Tammy paused in the hallway when she saw (describe what she saw but don't tell what IT is)

Beth froze when she came through the door and heard (describe what she heard but don't tell what IT is yet)

Lynn cringed at the familiar smell of (Help your reader discover what IT reminded her of)
Sioux inched her way closer to the object on the floor (Help your reader discover what IT is without telling right away)

Thank you for playing along.

8 comments:

Shelly said...

Ahh! I love this- my brain is in a flurry about which one- I will be back to finish when I settle down.

Unknown said...

Will be following your blog from this point on.

Anonymous said...

Sioux inched her way closer to the objects on the floor; they were drooping miserably and had lost all their perky potential and all their allure many decades ago.

Susan said...

Hi Linda...You are soooo right. Tell some but not all in a story so that the reader can discover things on his/her own.

You are a perfect person to explain this because you are a super writer!

Thanks soooo much for all your visits and comments. Love them! Susan

Optimistic Existentialist said...

"Lynn cringed at the familiar smell of cigarettes and alcohol on his breath..."

Linda O'Connell said...

Thank you all for participating. Excellent responses!

Tammy said...

Tammy paused in the hallway when she saw a shadow flickering under the closed door. She knew no one was home....

Okay, I just scared myself! That was fun, though.

Lynn said...

Lynn cringed at the familiar smell of pine when she walked in the door and knew it meant one thing...