Muse Food – Following The Line Of Sight
What is your point of view character looking at right now? What do they see?
Follow their line of sight, what they are focused on.
Are there beings in their view? Are they keeping, for example, their love interest in their line of sight at all times? Is there a color they notice? Does something in their field of vision remind them of something else? Does an object stir up emotion?
This might give you an insight into what they are thinking or feeling. And it might inspire future actions.
Topics: Muse Food | Comments Off on Muse Food – Following The Line Of Sight
Muse Food – Rainbows And Other Meanings
An exercise expert I follow posted a video in which she described her skin as being ‘orange.’
That one throwaway sentence greatly decreased my enjoyment of the video. And it made me view her differently.
(big sigh)
In contrast, a gardening expert recently talked about how she loves rainbows.
That throwaway sentence greatly INCREASED my enjoyment of that video.
(smiles)
Words matter. They can have multiple meanings and be loaded with emotion not at all implied by their definitions in a dictionary.
Choose the words in your story carefully.
Topics: Muse Food | Comments Off on Muse Food – Rainbows And Other Meanings
Muse Food – Bison And The Unexpected
If there was a bison background character in one of my stories crafted for North American readers, I would likely merely mention there was a bison. I might call him majestic or large or hairy. But I wouldn’t go into much detail.
If I was describing THIS bison, I would likely devote some space to describing his horns.
Why?
Because they aren’t typical for a bison. They aren’t ‘normal.’
And because they aren’t normal or expected, they stand out and they warrant mentioning.
Mention the unexpected in your stories, especially if that unexpected detail is important to the plot or character development.
Topics: Muse Food | Comments Off on Muse Food – Bison And The Unexpected
Muse Food – Fences And Barriers
These beautiful barriers were erected around an often visited historical site in Kuala Lumpur.
They communicate a few things.
The first and foremost, it IS a barrier. That means unauthorized people should keep out of the site. That’s the primary communication of a barrier or a fence.
The barriers also tell us the site managers KNOW it is a tourist destination. They KNOW visitors to the city will be disappointed that it is under construction. They KNOW these visitors will still want to be take photos.
And they value visitors to the site and to the city.
The pretty barriers relay pride in the site. The site managers care enough about the site to make it pretty.
The images are drawings, not photographs. That relays the site managers care about the arts. They didn’t send a construction worker out to take photos. They employed an artist to sketch it.
And these barriers tell everyone this construction will be happening for a while. It isn’t an overnight closure. The site will be closed for weeks, maybe months, maybe years.
The type of fence or a barrier in a story is important. It communicates much more than ‘Stay out.’ Make your choice of fence or barrier intentional.
Topics: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Muse Food | Comments Off on Muse Food – Fences And Barriers
Muse Food – The Floors At Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque And What Characters Are Standing On
This is a tiny bit of a gorgeous tiled floor at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
And this is a view of some of the carpet inside the Mosque. (It is the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet and is absolutely exquisite.)
Two different flooring types. Two different experiences. Two different settings.
What your characters are standing on can be super important. It is part of setting and it could be part of plot. It is easier to be stealthy, for example, when your heroine is walking on thick, lush moss rather than a twig-strewn, dried-leaf-covered forest floor.
Remember to ‘look down.’
(smiles)
Topics: Abu Dhabi, Muse Food, Travel | Comments Off on Muse Food – The Floors At Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque And What Characters Are Standing On
Muse Food – Look Upward
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spotted this vibrantly colored bird in Mazatlan, Mexico.
It is human nature to gaze around us at our eye level. That’s quick. That’s easy.
That’s…dangerous. Because threats can come from the sky. And they can come from below us.
As writers, we tend to describe the scene from our character’s eye level also.
And that can be…uninspired. Because there are likely interesting things happening above their heads and below their feet.
Look upward.
Topics: Mexico, Muse Food, Travel | Comments Off on Muse Food – Look Upward
