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| Author Lori Hayes |
“I felt I was right there on the island. I could smell the brine,
could taste the salt on my lips.” “I could visualize the ghostly grave, the one
that appears in Claire’s photographs. I could sense the presence of a ghost.”
“I imagined the sunglow highlighting the tips of the wild horse’s black mane.”
How does an author make the reader feel as though the setting is
one of the characters in your book?
That answer is different for every author, but for me it means
putting myself in that setting and imagining what the character is
experiencing. I focus on the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch.
For example, when my heroine in The
Search realizes a ghostly grave shows up in a photograph, she
revisits the hidden graveyard on the island to take another photograph. I draw
out her emotions of feeling foolish for taking a picture of the air, hoping the
grave shows up again in a photograph, of hiding her actions from another person
to avoid explaining the situation, and of dealing with fear while she’s standing
there alone taking the picture. The reader can experience the unnerving snap of
a twig that makes the heroine jump. I add in her surroundings, including the
tree off to the side where the grave had shown up in the original photograph. I
also draw in the history of the old fishing village that had once existed on
the island. That small detail, combined with the desert-like heat, the sand
dunes, and the horses grazing on sea grass off in the distance, helps create
ambiance.
Making your setting into a character relies on using several
different senses from your point of view character.
It also helps if you can tie the setting and the storyline together, so you have a meaningful way
to paint a creative picture to keep the reader engaged in your story. Little
details tossed in here and there, as opposed to pages of description, will
develop vivid imagery painlessly.
Choose your words carefully. One descriptive word can take the
place of several rambling words. Concise writing provides a streamlined
technique to draw your reader into your story and setting. Let them feel the
breeze on their face, experience stepping into the muck of a tidal pool, and
visualize seeing your heroine fall in a lump from the sliding stop of a horse.
The simple word “lump” says it all.
It’s easier for me to write about something I’ve experienced, at
least in part. If I can draw from a memory and relive it in my head, then the
words I write will feel more real to the reader. You don’t have to experience a
ghostly grave, however, to write about it. I remember as a child being
fascinated with graveyards. I always wanted to see a ghost. A friend of mine
and I would roam the cemetery right before closing in the evening. I’d work
myself into a frenzy until the snap of a twig caused by an animal set my nerve
endings in rapid fire. I drew from that experience when I wrote the scene I
described above.
Creating ambiance so your setting becomes a character is easier than one
might think. Remember to put yourself in your character’s shoes, tapping
into her senses. In a concise way, describe her emotions about the setting and
tie it into the storyline. Draw on whatever experiences you have that remind
you of the particular scene you are writing. Making your setting into a
character really is
Blurb for The Search:
The
pounding hooves of betrayal have battered photographer Claire Kincaid’s trust
in men. After her mother’s death, Claire’s desire for family leads her to the
coast to find her long-lost father. Instead, she finds herself stranded on an
island with a threatening storm, a suspicious man roaming the dunes, and a
dangerous confrontation with a wild stallion.
When
wildlife biologist and park ranger Jeff Rhoades, who is engaged to Claire’s popular
landlady, is sent to rescue Claire, he discovers his attraction to Claire makes
him question his commitment to his fiancée. To make matters worse, he secretly
searches for her father, against her will. Good intentions go wrong, and he
unravels a dubious and hurtful past. An island of secrets is untangled along
with the mystery of a horse whisperer who lurks in the horses’ shadows. The
more Claire searches for answers, the more she discovers that an old truth
never existed.
Bio:
Lori Hayes writes contemporary romance and romantic women's
fiction. She promises to deliver a happy ending in exchange for your
much-appreciated time reading her novels.
She lives with her family in North Carolina, and while she
hopes to someday say she lives near the beach, right now she is a short drive
from the ocean. She thinks it's important to focus on what you have and to
appreciate the small things around you, like the tang of salt in the air. For
then it becomes possible for your dreams to come true, like her dream of
writing and to be published.
She thanks her mother for her career. One day her mom
planted the seed for Lori to be a writer, and it took hold. And as her
grandfather always said, Stop talking about it and do something. So she did. While
her son took afternoon naps, she sat down and started her first novel.
Quickly she learned it wasn't so easy. She bought every book
she could find on the subject, and to this day she's still buying books to
study. She believes life is one lesson made up of many shorter ones. Tell the
story of your own life and it will come to fruition. She's living proof.
You can find Lori Hayes at:
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