Experience It! Then Write!

Whaaaa? What does he mean by this?

Simple. If you are planning to write a scene, go and experience the setting or event, if possible, before writing. It is a blast, and by using all your senses, you will be inundated with ideas...but you still have to get them into text. As an example I've used before, I was a Civil War re-enactor for 15 years. Aside from the actual bullets and cannonballs flying, I've experienced much of what a soldier did during that time period. Okay, no lice, but I did get a bad case of chiggers. By using all this experience, I was able to start a historical non-fiction without a problem. Why? The 'been there, done that' comes into play.

"I don't reenact," you say? No problem. Suppose you are writing a scene dealing with a chase down some rapids. Find a river with an abundance of them, go sit, and watch. Study the river-goers zipping past the rocks. Better yet, go down with a guide yourself and feel the jars, bumps, splashes, and thrill of the event yourself!

I read once where an author rode with a small town police officer in order to get the feel and protocol of what he did in a crime investigation for her mystery novel. What about feeling stranded in the desert? Go to the desert, park you car, and walk about 100 yards away (with water) and sit, making sure to have the car and other modern amenities out of view. Without trying to drink, feel the heat, the thirst, the loneliness, the thoughts that begin to run through your mind knowing you are lost and in dire straits.

Placing yourself in the midst of what you are writing and experiencing it firsthand will make a world of difference, if you can. But make sure it is safe. Don't do something that will endanger your life. You can't write if you are dead!

I also know of numerous haunted places you can visit if you are in the market of writing something of the paranormal genre. Once you get there, listen to the sounds, feel the darkness, let your imagination flow as it creates things that are not there...muahahaha! Oh, sorry...got carried away there.

Another thing you can do is to prepare with the same methods actors use when they are studying a role to perform. Either hang out with the person they are portraying, or sit back and study the type of person(s) they are trying to be. This will also help give you insight on what you are writing about.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Take care, Nick

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