Monday, May 23, 2011

Denmark and Blogs

What do they have to do with each other? Who knows? Except my new background picture was taken in Denmark. To celebrate Memorial Day weekend,and summer, I've included it. Summer is here. Slow down. Relax. Except of course when it comes to our writing goals.
Our characters can never relax. They need to be doing something interesting to move that plot along. However, sometimes even seemingly laid-back things (like camping) can move the plot along in an interesting way.
Does your character accidentally start a campfire on a no-burn day? (Arizona campers know what I'm talking about.) Does someone from the forest service come along? Does the fire get out of control? Does your camper get shot?
It's interesting that something so ordinary as camping can set the stage for either a romance, or a thriller, or even an action-based story. But each scene needs to count for something. Even though it starts out ordinary, we should decide what this has to do with the life of our main character. If the answer is nothing, maybe it isn't such a great scene after all. What can we do to add a little extra spice to one of our scenes that seem overly bland?

5 comments:

Valerie Ipson said...

I have no camping in my current novel. Camping in Denmark sounds appealing, though!

Debra Erfert said...

I'm from Arizona, and I know exactly what you're talking about. I love the idea of the whole escalation of excitement from something as simple as a campfire. See what happens when you think out of the box--or out of the fire ring? hehe

Anna Arnett said...

Ideas for writing, whether prose, poetry, drama, journal entry, or merely doodling, can be found almost anywhere. I'm reminded of the story of the girl who complained that she had no opportunity. All she did was peel potatoes. On the back steps. Nothing else around but ants. After masterful encouragement, she began watching, then researching, and became a recognized expert on ants. It isn't what we experience, it's what we do with it that counts.

Susan G. Haws said...

I like your point make every scene move the plot forward. Denmark looks pretty and green.

Susan G. Haws said...

I got to thinking, how did you camp in Denmark wouldn't that have been a pain to find someplace that rented equipment? How does that work?