Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Sensory Detail

I'm currently reading through my first 3 chapters of The Outlaw Bride to get it ready to send out to agents and editors. But it's missing something. The story works but until about halfway through chapter three I'm just not quite feeling it. At least not the way I feel I should be. And for the life of me I couldn't figure out what it was. Then it dawned on me.

Sensory detail.

There wasn't enough of it to draw the reader in, to set the stage, to make them feel the story with all their senses.

Once I get midway through chapter three the story feels like it's shifted into gear and everything comes together. But before I send this out I need to go back and fill in the missing pieces to make the first 2.5 chapters snap to attention.

Then off it goes. Out once again into the cruel, cruel world.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have books like that. Where something just feels off. Good luck when you send it out! :)

Unknown said...

Good luck sending your baby out into the world.

Anonymous said...

How awesome that you were able to catch the problem! Good luck with adding the sensory detail! And good luck with the sendoff!

Melissa Amateis said...

I'm glad you were able to pinpoint what the problem was. Oftentimes we look at the manuscript so much that we can't "see" what it's lacking anymore.

Anonymous said...

Sensory details are the things I always have to go back and fill in too.

Good luck with finishing and getting it out there :-)

Anonymous said...

Yeah, get those three chapters into shape. They are the toughest to write. Great that you were able to cath the problem yourself and diagnose what needed to be done.

Anonymous said...

I'm bad at the sensory detail part. I usually get a bit, but it never seems enough to draw the reader in.

Good luck sending it out!!

Lexi said...

You can do it!