Remember that old saying, the devil is in the details? I like to twist it a bit and say, when it comes to writing, the strength is in the details. Here are three quick writing techniques that focus on the fine points of writing to give your work more impact.
1) Focus description on significant details!
Not all details are created equal and not everything in your story needs to be described. Focus your powers of description on things that are important to your story—the significant details. What makes a detail significant?
Any detail that is integral to the plot must be shared. If a letter opener on the hero’s desk is going to be a weapon later in the story, then you’d better show it to us in that earlier scene where he’s sitting in his office. However, we probably don’t need a detailed description of the bookcase, the chair, the… you get the point.
Another type of significant detail is one that shows the reader something about the character or his situation. If the suit Mr. Zucker wears to church has a discreet patch at one elbow, we know his family is probably struggling financially. Sometimes these types of details are more subtle or symbolic. If the scene that introduces Mary Jane shows her standing barefoot amidst the broken glass spread across the kitchen floor, it becomes significant that she is barefoot and subconsciously we will pick up on the fact that this character is vulnerable.
2) Eradicate filter words!
Filter words put distance between the reader and the character. Words like saw and felt remind the reader that they are reading a story rather than experiencing it. For example:
Basic: He felt the wind on his cheeks.
Stronger: The wind stung his cheeks.
The stronger sentence provides more sensual detail and lets the reader feel what the character is feeling. And that leads to my next tip…
3) Use stronger verbs!
There are hundreds of thousands of words in the English language but most of us use only in the low tens of thousands on a regular basis. Look at only verbs and the number we use regularly drops dramatically. Common verbs like look, walk, stand, sit are overused in our fiction. They also do little to illustrate or color the action. Does this mean you should pull up a thesaurus and replace them all with synonyms? No. Don’t replace them with any synonym—replace them with a better verb.
Basic: He stood up.
Stronger: He jolted out of his seat.
The second version of the line above is stronger because it shows us that the “he” is either in a hurry, startled, or anxious. “Jolted” provides more information.
If there isn’t a better choice, stick with the more common word. It’s better for the verb to add nothing than to distract the reader or detract from the other strong writing around it. “He jolted out of his seat” would make little sense if he then limped to the fridge for another beer.
Putting these three quick techniques to work is sure to punch up your prose, because the strength of your writing is in the details!
This article first appeared in Coastal Connections, a publication of First Coast Romance Writers. It was reprinted in Connections a publication of Connecticut Romance Writers and Monarch e-News a publication of Monterey Bay Romance Writers. I happy to now be able to share it with you here.