THE SCENE OF THE CRIME

 

     The first thing any good detective does when entering a crime scene is to look for clues. Not just a quick once over, but an inch-by-inch detailed inspection for a stray hair, an unexplained fingerprint, or anything out of the ordinary. Every detail is documented, for it may become important later in the investigation.

     Writing is a lot like good detective work in that details are an essential part of the information-gathering process and must be dutifully documented. It’s these details which pull your reader into the story, putting them in the exact same place as your character. This gives your reader a front-row seat to the action.

     So, put on your detective hat, grab your magnifying glass and let’s go gather all the clues needed to set a good story.

     Close your peepers and use your mental eye to envision this scene. Now open them and write down what you saw. Your list might look something like this: green walls, desk, chair, books, two windows. But add a few details and an entirely different scene is set: sage green walls, oak desk, straight-backed chair, leather-bound books lining the wall, bay windows overlooking the ocean. Your list may not have looked anything like mine. That’s because the reader pulls from personal experience to add the details the writer omits. It’s the job of the author to make sure the reader sees the same scene. That is done through the use of carefully placed details.

     A word of caution, a writer should never list the details as I did above. Instead they should be revealed through a characters actions and reactions, which is the trick to engaging the readers in the story.

     Let’s look at some examples.

           Boring: Libby wore slippers on her feet.

          Engaging: Libby’s soft slippers slid across the hardwood floor.

          _____________

          Boring: Chadwick turned off the lights.

          Engaging: Chadwick extinguished the candles, leaving the room bathed in moonlight reflected off the ocean.

      See how the details change the visual for the reader?

     Details can be used to convey time and place as well, without that annoying date-stamp at the start of a scene. Continuing from the examples above, we know it’s dark outside and Libby and Chadwick are in a house along the coast, and maybe she’s sneaking into the room? Now have Libby dip a quill pen into an inkwell (to pen a note to Chadwell) and your reader is transported back a century or two. Mention the heavy damask draperies that Chadwick pulls closed against the night air, and your reader knows that the coastal setting is somewhere cold. Readers are very adept at adding up the setting “clues” and getting a clear picture. No need to say it’s cold out or set in the 1800s.

     Details should appeal to the senses as well. Consider mentioning the lingering scent of pipe tobacco. Or a clock chiming midnight. Or a bearskin run by the fireplace. Appealing to all five senses (taste, touch, smell, sound, sight) goes a long way in bringing the story to life for the reader.

     Details can go further to create a mood. Let’s add flickering candles, a half-empty decanter of scotch, and a silk robe carelessly discarded in front of the fireplace. That’s a whole different mood.

     Okay. I think you get the picture. But is it the same scene you envision when you read the first list of green wall, desk, chair, books and windows? See what a difference a few details can make?

     Remember the writer is painting a metal picture for the reader. Great attention must be paid to details. A word of caution, though; details are like a strong seasoning—a little bit goes a long way.

     When it comes to writing, you need to be a detective and treat each scene as it if were a crime scene, but only document that details that are germane to the case.

     Write on, my friends!