How to Craft the Perfect Scene | On Writing
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
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Go get a great book to help you write and a great book to read here linktr.ee/timhickson stay nerdy!
~ Tim
Bought the book on kindle because I'm poor lol, but I've never bought a book from youtube before; I'm honored to buy this book though, Tim, and it couldn't have come at a more poignant time in my life, as two of my biggest rocks, pillars in my life, have recently been lost to me in different ways through death, and knowing you've been a crisis hotline operator, how you've always handled mental health in your content, I just know this book is going to be good. I'll write a good review for you when finished, I hope you eventually put out an audible/audio narration version of it too! Much love from the mid atlantic ❤
@@lifeisbutadreamm Thank you! It's never easy losing people we depend on, and it'd only be harder losing two so close together. I hope everything turns out okay for you
@@HelloFutureMewow 😳
Love your stuff, you’re always a go-to resource and I tend to watch each of your vids multiple times.
Anyway, you asked for examples of “setting the scene”, so here is a little bit from one of my works in progress. This is a world where only twins can wield magic, and when one twin dies they linger on as a ghost until their counterpart also dies, then they each take the final journey together…
Ferran and Miquel stood on either side of Rayna as they all watched Vincen hesitantly approach Lady Ona Lequette’s grave, a bouquet of yellow peonies held loosely in his hand. Rayna shifted about uncomfortably as Vincen knelt in the grass and laid the bouquet at the base of Ona’s black marble headstone. The graveyard was perched atop a hill not far outside the village of Marisette, with the quaint town and rolling vineyards stretching away below them, bathed in the early morning sun. Birds chirped softly and somewhere nearby a brook burbled as it flowed gently down the hill on its way to the Santabelle river. It was a far more peaceful and beautiful graveyard than the cramped and dingy places that Rayna was familiar with back in Villamont, but she still hated it. Death was not supposed to be beautiful. Death was infants in the gutters and beggar boys in the bushes. It was debtors in prison and soldiers on far-off battlefields. It was something to avoid, to run from. It was something to fight and struggle against until it eventually - inevitably - caught up with you and dragged you out of this cruel world on one final, miserable journey. Unless you were unfortunate enough to be a twin.
@@HelloFutureMe not sure if you were made aware already but at 18:27 there's a small typo "The Things we Don't Dee" instead of "See"
“Setting the scene is complicated” he says, using the 4 move checkmate as an example, the simplest way to win a game of chess, great video Tim just adding standard viewer engagement
I tried to do a more complex one but it was so hard to focus , speak, and do it correctly lol
~ Tim
@@HelloFutureMe I kind of like that you did the simplest mate, b/c what must lead up to it is extremely complex. You need the most inexperienced player going against someone who is much more comfortable in their abilities. This is intriguing, b/c I can only think of 3 ways this could happen. There was some sort of mistake, the less experienced player is being taken advantage of, or they are being taught. All of which tell different stories, and give you an entirely different perspective on the entire video.
It's all kind of moot because he didn't set up the pieces correctly. The bottom right square should be white when playing either black or white.
On a chessboard set up wrong. King and Queen are on the wrong squares and the whole board should rotated 90 degrees.
So...more complicated than we thought?
Using scholar's checkmate is crazy 💀
I THOUGHT HE DIDN'T DO THE GANDALF MEME ANYMORE! - genuinely made my day within fifteen seconds.
Same!
Would also point out for the Red Wedding, and that first description, it's our first clue something is wrong, in that the musicians are terrible, and we learn later are not actually musicians, but mercenaries, a solid Chekovs gun . And it obviously gets fired before the end of the chapter.
Great point! Can’t imagine the scene having the same impact if the “gun” had been fired after a chapter break or in a latter scene in the show. The tension and feeling of something being wrong just builds so much you physically feel it
"The sound echoed.." is probably the most evident line in that paragraph. Not the MUSIC, the *SOUND*. They aren't musicians, so what they play isn't called "music", because they aren't there to play at all.
Another extraordinarily subtle bit of foreshadowing for the Red Wedding that I absolutely adore:
When Robb, Catelyn, and company come to the Twins, they are met by Ryman Frey, Lord Walder's current heir. Following a tense exchange, Ryman tells them "follow me, my father awaits".
For the typical first time reader bombarded with literal dozens of interchangeable Freys, this seems like a perfectly normal invitation to see Lord Walder, if a bit ominously phrased. But here's the thing: Ryman is Walder's GRANDSON. His father, Stevron Frey, died serving Robb. Ryman just told Robb and Catelyn to their faces that they were going to their deaths and both they and the reader missed it because there were too damn many Freys to keep track of. GRRM never wastes a detail (except on food).
@@StathMIAhere to defend the food descriptions in ASOIAF!
Yes, there's a lot of it, but it is also more often than not symbolic. It's something you won't catch on your first read, but once you do, you suddenly see it everywhere and suddenly you realize the clues and chess pieces were there way sooner than you thought.
Like with wine, Martin not only established a region that's known for the best, most prestigious of wines, but he also uses both types of that wine as a symbol/foreshadowing. White wine, the Arbor gold, is actually drunk solely and specifically in scenes when a character is lying, hiding something, manipulating and deceiving. It's brought into focus by Littlefinger when he's trying to get the Lords Declarant of the Vale, but it's also the wine that Taena pours for Cersei when she's trying to get close to her, it's what Olenna gives people on multiple occasions when she's scheming, it's the wine used to pay for a certain boy, to a father that has other sons, but has never tasted the Arbor gold.
The other flavor of symbolism is with Arbor red, which is always either specifically poisoned or drunken by a character that's about to be killed. It's the poisoned wine that was sent to Dany, it's Joffs last drink, it's what Tyrion gives Cersei, it's what killed Aegon II, it's how Maester Cressen tried to kill Melisandre.
There are more details like that, for example whenever a boar is served, there's a change of leadership/ruling, and peaches are always coming back when someone is cocky/overly confident and is about to be brought down a peg [or down a whole tower xd]. All of that stuff makes it, at least for me, worth rereading the series to catch more and more of them - which I've done thrice thus far, and honestly just writing about it gives me cravings for a fourth repeat, somebody stop me.
@@StathMIA Daaaamn that's crazy :o I could read the books ten times and always miss that, thank you for pointing it out!
24:23 I am reminded of most TV shows where you follow investigators interviewing suspects, they will often be asking questions while the person is working so instead of just standing there talking to each other the suspect will be hauling boxes around or walking down the street. Even though if you think about it that would be wildly impractical and the vast majority of people would just stop and focus on talking, but that would make the scene static and boring.
I'm glad your enjoying the chess metaphor, because watching you move the pieces is about to give me a stroke.
I love listening to Tim while I write.
Also, once again congrats on the wedding, Tim! Hope you had fun on your honeymoon!
I bet they wrote Avatar fan fiction together and read it to each other :3
Whenever I read his books, I hear Tim in my head as the narrator.
Ah yes, I hate it when my opponent plays two moves in a row with a check that I then simply ignore.
oh my word. every time, without fail, that you read a passage and i think 'i'd like to read this', i go to look it up. imagine my dismay when i find no results and hear you from the other tab saying it's actually your story! your writing always amazes me, i will definitely be buying A Catalogue for the End of Humanity, i'm so glad it's out!
By the way, sometimes it's actually useful to put pieces of foreshadowing so far in advance that your reader starts to forget it. One of my favorite series did this, most of the foreshadowing happens near the event itself, but it's meaning can only be pieced out if you remember information given in a specific scene from two books ago. This is because our perspective character wasn't thinking about the information at the time, and if he had remembered it at the time he could've prevented the tragedy that was being foreshadowed. He doesn't think about it, so whilst we also know the information, it was given so far back and in such a way that we the reader isn't thinking about it either, at least until the event itself actually comes to pass, and our perspective character realizes that if only they actually bothered to notice that detail and apply the information they possessed they could've done something to prevent it, but now it's too late.
what series?
@@croutendo2050 Academy of Magical Creatures by Megan Linski and Alicia Rades, it's also part of a wider universe of series called Hidden Legends all written by the same authors.
Plus it adds reread value. :>
@@farkasmactavish oh absolutely.
As a chess player…THANK YOU for calling yourself out for those illegal chess moves 😂
Honestly, this same concept works really well if you’re a DM/GM for DnD or other TTRPGs. Being able to succinctly describe a location and also include details that are intended to catch the player’s attention help draw the players to act in certain ways. If you spend too much time describing the birds then the players might think the birds are important and waste time investigating that. Or describe an important secret detail of a room or a strange characteristic or behavior of an NPC and now the focus is right where you want it, on the real intrigue
Yeah, as a DM this is definitely the strongest aspect of my writing due to the extra practice I get.
It makes me ponder whether Tim’s comments about introspection and the psychological aspects can also be incorporated in DM descriptions.
Not gonna lie: half the reason I follow Tim is for improving my DMing...
Absolutely fantastic video. Not only is it filled with great bits of analysis on the importance of relevant scene setting, but also interweaves marketing for your own work flawlessly. This video not only taught me profound lessons, but also made me want to buy your books, especially Catalogue for the End of Humanity. The excerpt from your short story was a perfect example of how you put the lessons you teach into your creative work, something that in my opinion many other youtube "writing gurus" lack significantly.
You're seeing right behind the curtain 😉
~Tim
6:42 My man put on his plot armor and castled right into check! 😂 In all seriousness though, another fantastic video, man! This was enlightening, and really helpful. Appreciate it!
1. Setting scene requires tension, relationship, objects, characters & emotion.
2. Foreshadowing
3. Establish important objects, set pieces & other things.
4. Scenes can be seen as questions and answers. What emotional shifts are set up?
5. Consider the place & meaning in the narrative.
6. Introspection matters
7. Active characters interacting with environment, both physical & mental.
8. Atmoshere = word choice + focused details + character interpretation. Atmosphere can build towards/contrast the events.
Hello 👋 from Ukraine! As a writer myself, I just adore Your content! That's what I needed exactly - when I was doubting and having setbacks: analysis and strategy. Waiting for more new insights. Thank You for Your content 🙏
Highlights
💡 Setting the scene is more than just describing the environment.
💡 Foreshadowing and establishing atmosphere are important aspects of scene setting.
💡 Active character engagement with the environment adds immersion to the scene.
In the opening to my novel, I decided to do what no one is supposed to and described the lovely weather and setting. The focus, though, shifts to the MC's love for the place, an emotional tie that is important for the climax of the story. At the same time, cracks appear in the idyllic setting: storms earlier that year that caused severe fire damage to her town, people are concerned about what to do when the traveling merchants come through after all the damage, and her town sits close to a forest that's known to be enchanted. These elements are pretty minor as far as plot events go (they do play a part, but they aren't the main focus), but they are the setting in which the mask finally falls off and the inciting incident occurs. I don't think many would be surprised by the flip in atmosphere that happens halfway through chapter 1, due to the cracks that have been shown already throughout the first half. Rather, a single character who fully lives in the mask is the one who is surprised as the lovely life he thinks he lives and projects to everyone else turns out to be built on volcanic pain that erupts by the end of chapter 1.
When I was in middle school I wrote a novella, and although I kind of put it aside until recently (I’m completely rewriting it and hope to self publish it in the next couple years) I did keep in mind the stuff I liked about that first draft, such as my tight but vivid scene descriptions and the little details of character action and interactions. I once showed one of my teachers a page I was working on and she went, “I love how you describe what the characters are doing between the pieces of dialogue.” This for some reason seemed so obvious to me that the comment felt almost condescending but I’m sure she didn’t mean it that way and I do think that feedback was ultimately helpful. Anyway what I’m saying is that descriptions have always been something I’m comfortable writing but this video has definitely expanded my understanding.
this video taught me 2 things:
1: Tim knows a lot of about writing
2: Tim knows nothing about chess
My man, please never stop teaching me things.
Tim's opponent must be so embarrassed to lose at chess so many times in one video.
A good way to set a scene is to focus on both the good & bad details to keep the reader guessing on what's going to happen next.
I'll be 100% honest with you, I clicked on your video because I expected it to deal with cinematography, and scenes in shows and movies, and about halfway through the video I realized I'm not getting what I hoped for.
Its 100% on me, and my expectations, I know you're excited about your new book, and I should have realized much sooner it isn't about the TV show.
27:24 (Unless the vibe you want to set up is, intentionally, meant to enable a sort of yanking of the rug or tablecloth out from under things later on either as something particular happens to literally change everything or if things are meant to not initially/immediately seem as they really are or such-but then you still have to do the switch well and/or illustrate that transformation progressively as things go along. {Which is sort of also touched on in the video here with the later mention of going for contrast, shortly after this point, I s'pose!😹 😊} ^-^)
Happy you mentioned A Catalogue for the End of Humanity. Long time viewer, and in the rare situation of needing to find myself a gift for a holiday function. Had decided to grab one of the "On Writing" volumes, but just heard your description of your short stories. My father passed in October and its our first Christmas without him. Now, I'm looking forward to Santa bringing A Catalogue for the End of Humanity. If your written work is as thought provoking as your videos have been over the years, I think it will be a really welcome perspective. Keep up the great work.
I have recently discovered your videos, They're entertaining and have great visuals that make your advice more memorable. You are a great communicator and I look forward to seeing all your videos. This one is no exception.
The only thing we can’t get in the book version of these videos is Saxophone Gandalf.
In my current (attempt at writing a) book, the first scene introduces the character in a clean suit with resparator mask scrubbing on water stains and black mold in a house she inherrited, describing the crsip and protective cleanness of the suit against the filth and decay of the delapidated building. I described with sickenning visceral words how the grime and mold runs down the wall, seeking to escape the soapy sponge. In the next scene, while the character is taking a break for lunch, the food is described clinically, not as what the food is, but the chemicals and artifical flavourings it is made of while the character mulls over the discovery that all the mold and grime was artistically applied water colour made to look like filth to reduce the house value as protest against inherritance tax. Both scenes together (are supposed to) prime the reader for deception and illusions in the story. Nothing is as it appears at face value.
Wasn't going to say anything until the man himself brought it up. The chess board is a mess at just about every point, including some setups that are just flat out impossible. Fun little stuff to look at for the background and notice, and a good video nonetheless!
Being able to share my writing with you, someone who trully helped my develop my work as a writer, is what motivates me to finnally hire a translator to publish my book in english 🤗 As someone who lives in the opposite side of the world (and speaks and writes in portuguese haha), thank you, man 💜 Congratulations on the new releases!!
Get that mug off the book right now! 🤯
My favorite tv episode 🗣
I don't know if anyone will bother reading it, but here's a comment with a piece of scene setting of mine to help get the algorithm in your favor
---------
The sky wasn't dark yet, but the sun was far enough down for the lights to stand out in the gloom of the street. In an hour or so, thought Lydia, this street would be like a glowing caterpillar if viewed from above-even more so with the oil lamps lighting the tables that were scattered about.
When Hinamori had said she would come by around dinnertime, Lydia had expected to be given food and eat alone like she had for the past few days-but apparently the Lieutenant wasn't working that night-having promised to eat out with some colleagues-and was willing to bring her along. On the way out of the division building, the two of them had picked up a couple of people, and their trip to the izakaya had become a lot more animated, with chatting and jests and pats on the back. Although Lydia had felt a little out of place at first among all the black matching outfits, the busy street they were in now was much less homogeneous, swallowing up any discrepancies.
If anything, Lydia felt at ease. As they all shuffled around to sit at the small table, she let the movement absorb her, dissolving into the group. They passed around the menu, pointing at things, making recommendations above the loud, indistinct noise of the life around them. Someone got okonomiyaki, another skewers, somebody else grilled fish. Someone got hit over the head lightly with the menu before it was returned to the waiter.
Love to start a scene with dialogue - in media res in microcosm.
The prose equivalent of a dialogue box at the end of a scene and bottom of a comic page before a page turn establishing shot.
Works best for a story with a pulp sensibility, but not exclusively.
It's the first hook or question (where are we and who are we talking to) that leads the reader into the slightly bigger questions of the scene proper that will express themselves over the more standard scene setting.
I often think of writing like playing music. Usually I have a harp in my mind’s eye, choosing particular notes, making sure they are in the right order and at the right tempo, that way the overall effect has what I want it to be. A lot of it’s about choices, having this element or that one at this time.
When complicated sax wizard returns, brain go brrrrrrrrrr
19:16 Now the chess metaphor makes suddenly much more sense to me. Of course describing things randomly will have an effect of not moving on when it would be better to just do that.
I'm not writing a book, but I have watched all your videos to write some neat fanfiction so thanks man !
I wish imported books weren't so expensive in my country 😢 even the first volume of your book here costs the equivalent to around 40 USD, which is crazy for a book
"I'm going to show you what pieces I was moving into position, and why, and let me know what you picked up on?"
*IMMEDIATE TRANSITION TO DEAFENING PLAYSTATION 5 AD!*
... I'm guessing Lucia wished she could play video games rather than go to a funeral. 😅
These scene stills hunts me to this day
Great video man, but I can't get over all the illegal moves on your chess board hahaha
If we still had stars I'd have to take one off for that.
Nice Scholar's Mate, mate! Love the video!
Lovely video! Make sure to keep the a1 square dark though! Otherwise the queens will end up on the e file, which will annoy chess nerds.
Thanks for bringing back the fun in your videos this is why I started watching your channel
Probably my two favorite scene settings I've written to share-
(Also, I know, they're fanficion, please ignore that, lol.)
Scene 1:
There is no words to describe how putrid rotten flesh smells, the decomposing skin hanging off skeleton reeked of thousands voices screaming. She had nothing to do with the corpse, she was stuck in the hole with it, she had no dirt to bury it in, no way to hide her kill.
The foul sent of her guilt was unescapable.
She had tried several means of escape, to no prevail, the holes wall much too high, slimy stone unable to climb, and no material in this den to assist her. She was trapped.
The night hung with a suicidal silence in the pitch dark only the soft taunts of waving tree branches and mate-less cricket chirps present. Hand bracing against the walls, she took a breath. Ren said if she died then the Admins would find her. She had to survive.
Scene 2:
It reminded me of the large sweeping castle ruins you can find in the Nether, only not ruins, but polished, frequently clean, and filled with all different types of people. The quartz sparkled in the bright sun, the crowds glinting as a streaming sea. The proud bleached building juts out of mountain backdrop, important offices scattered all around in the city of technical superiority. I knew each one, the stumped roof one belonged to the funder of the Administration's treasury back in the day, now belonging to Usin Hellth the current treasurer, well, at that time, now in the present Usin Hellth has retired and maintains several community servers. To my knowledge the current treasure is Lean Flop.
I do not say this all the brag on my knowledge, but to show my pride, my foolish pride. Seeing it all for the first time is somewhat indescribable. Like a young boy who grew up infatuated by a fantasy universe, then, by some crossing the threshold means, usually a old artifact, a wish, or famously a wardrobe, he is able to step foot in this world that captured his imagination for so very long, experience the things that were once fantasies, grab a dream and actually wrestle it into submission in the realm of reality.
Though this didn't feel real, it felt like I floated, feet hovering over the surface of the ground as I made my way to check in and then my new living space for the next years of my life.
I got my first whiff of the Administration's signature sent, Windex air and stale coffee, as I entered the large dome room, three large stair wells leading to a upper level in front of me. So many class rooms, so much to learn, all the stuff I could, and was going to learn. This was the Archival, the building for game play studies, game mechanics, different types of games, rewards system creation and more. The main creators of some the greatest and most beloved Minecraft games graduated from here, such as Bed wars and Build Battle.
This explains the many stands lining the walls for signing up for different Minecraft game clubs, a thing I learned was always prevalent in the beginning of first semester, when all the new recruits where coming in. There were also many server internships or internship for game based Minecraft servers or community game play servers for the several years returning.
A lady offered a pamphlet to me but I simply shook my head, I wanted to get to my living quarters first, then I'll come out here...that's what I told myself, but I knew talking to strangers was going to be impossible, these crowds created a tightened feeling in my chest, I would probably sign up later after everyone had left.
I hope those might spark inspiration for some of y'all, I really enjoyed readings others, it help me a lot!😄
This series has been incredible to me, thank you and congratulations on your wedding!!!❤❤
I'd love a series on plot archetypes. What makes the most common ones so special? How do you combine them? Etc....
So glad you changed the thumbnail. That bear is nightmare fuel. *shudder*
Thumbnail of Timmy playing chess.
Be stilled, my beating heart
wow love the new editing style! keep It up mate!
I think the Witcher books are a great thing to look at here. To summarize events happening over several months, we jump from scene to scene without introduction and just hear the dialogue happening. Because the rest doesnt matter and hasnt changed much / in an important way tot he scene(s) before.
Excellent work, man. I'm expecting V3 any day now!
Your chess board is oriented incorrectly :(. When playing as white your king should be on your right. The board needs to be rotated 90°
Thank you for your videos!!
Setting the scene and bringing the tone for a novel can be hard when it's a scene in the middle, or getting the end right. Getting the right feel within a paragraph right at the start? Often nightmarish. On the third full rewrite of my book, but I ~think~ I have it now. Here's the first paragraph, doing it's best to pack in the right imagery, feel, declaration of location, and hook. Please, feel welcome to give your thoughts.
---
The Ohio State University's campus was old, and the hungrily growing city of Columbus had built up around its narrow, forever clogged two-lane streets. The eternally expanding campus had built back over the city, climbing its heights ever more in dusty construction that never seemed to end. At some point the two had merged until there were no distinct lines, only buildings that were city, and buildings that were campus, sprawled in every direction on either side of the river. Sometimes the buildings would even touch, or be atop one another as they fought to supersede and claim prominence and dominance in equal measure. It was an aging, modern realm trying to find and redefine itself in a confusing world, and this made it perfect for all the students that went there seeking to do the same. The many-limbed fur-covered monster crashing out the café window beneath the aging library made it significantly less so.
Would only knowing "the red wedding is a thing from Game of Thrones," "I think theres a wedding, betrayal, and bloodshed," and "It was a big deal" count as not knowing about it?
9:50 I've been having a crisis watching you move these pieces for a little over 10 minutes.....
19:23 i nearly lost my shit, so this was a good analogy for what youre were talking about
I didn't even realise this was a video from Tim, because of how different the Thumbnail looked...
No Avatar reference, no character off to the side, no extra immages... Just a character in front of a two word title.
It certainly confused me for a moment 😂
i thought the idea of someone looking at your chess pieces and nitpicking about wrong moves would be silly until you moved a pawn backwards
Thank you for coming out with this video this happens to be one of my weak points with my writing
I am having difficulty with this in writing my book. It is set in a dark fantasy setting where it is characterized by eternal night and darkness. The bright full moon is a consistent motif I use throughout my book's scenery descriptions, as well as ocean and maritime metaphors too , especially ones describing the dark abyssal ocean
So, I've heard of The Red Wedding, but I never got much further than "a bunch of people are invited to a wedding that turns out to be a trap and they all get slaughtered."
Not the sort of thing I'm interested in reading about.
EDIT: the blurb from The Life and Death of Lycia's Library heavily reminded me of What Remains of Edith Finch.
The chessboard being flipped around for the whole video is funny in the weirdest way.
Great advice! Your thumbnail title is correct, but your video title is not. The title implies this is advice for crafting a scene, which it's not. It's setting a scene, as in the thumbnail, and as you say in the video.
Just thought I'd mention it in case new writers think these are the fundamentals of building a scene, whereas they are more like an edit pass to establish mood/foreshadowing/subtext and so on.
Setting the scene is great... but at 6:50 black castled into check!
My favourite setting the scene was the intro by the illustrated man by ray Bradbury
Great video! I'm definitely guilty of describing things that aren't necessarily significant 😅
I actually haven’t heard of the Red Wedding. I have heard of the Red Robin Wedding though. It’s a major build up of backstabbing betrayals before the climax of one of the greatest South Park trilogies of all time
great video but got teased by "the things they carry" sitting there the full video to just not be used
My partner has come to dread new releases from "hello future me", as it usually foreshadows me adding several new book series to my shopping list...
I got into siriously plotting my story lateley and condering your book
If only my mind could focus on one thing for longer than three seconds.
As a Chess Player, I approve the Illegal moves. F the rules!
Specially with that Scholars Mate, first Chess trap I learned!
This was the first I'd heard of the "Red Wedding". How? I never read the books, and as far as the show - anything *that* popular can't be very good.
6:40 Love the metaphor, but did you just castle into a check? 😅
He says the word chess like an Aristotzkan says the word cat! Glory to future us!
1:53 - "The Red Wedding is a famous scene where a king and all his army are massacred...by supposed allies."
Fire Emblem fans know it as the Battle of Belhalla.
I didn't really hear about the Red Wedding until fairly recently when I was reading the books. How? Because I don't really immerse myself in pop culture.
Great video but dude it's killing me you've got the chessboard set up the wrong way around! You've got the kings on the d file and the Queens on e!
Ah yes, the Things We Don't See. Well played.
Let's make a drinking game: every time Tom tries to get you to buy one of his books, take a shot (difficulty: impossible)
Wow 😯
Scene setting descriptions: the reason my high school English teacher had to institute a *maximum* word count for creative writing assignments as well as a minimum word count. That, and my ability to fill 20 pages with limericks if he told me to write something "in verse or prose, your choice."
If you can set the scene properly, the rest of the writing will just flow. Setting the scene is the major source of writer's block.
10:06 i dunno why, but after hearing and reading i really thought the text was talking about a bird
Little chess comment: The left corner tile from whites perspective is always black, not white. So basically you played a mirrored version of chess here :D
Apart from this unforgivable mistake, nice video as always.
Hey Tim! Love your videos. Just wondering- which volume of On Writing and Worldbuilding contains the most useful info for building a sci fi world?
Thanks!
Hello Future Me is complicated.
I'm not an author-type, but this method of approaching scene description sounds like it would be a lot of fun to implement into dungeons and dragons. Perhaps bring attention to environmental objects in a way that encourages player creativity.
Idear
When are you going to europe?
Did you intentionally set your board with white left orientation? Just to make certain nerds uncomfortable? Because it's working 😅
I like the metaphore.
A quick little descriptive set-up from my WIP:
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The Log Cabin was a frigid, despondent place. A faint hum of magic hung thick in the air, enough to raise the fine hairs on her skin. Lit by old-fashioned everlasting torches in caged iron sconces, the wooden walls behind them blackened. Her breath became wisps of mist in front of her mouth. No amount of magic or fire could stave off the omniscient chill. This place might have been a boardinghouse for loggers in a previous life, but it was a military prison now.
Did you coordinate this with Bookborn? She put out her A Storm of Swords review on this same morning
This is kinda random and irrelevant, but I personally see establishing the environment within and/or around a scene more as "setting the [theatre ]stage" than as 'setting the scene'-because I think one is more about what happens, and the other is more about where it happens, while the two things intersect together into how and why it happens which altogether builds the character(s)/world//story///etcetera. But perhaps that's just me and my own brain's weird way of thinking of things. 🤔🤷🤷♀️🤷🏻♂️🤭🤭🙂💖 Lol 😅😁😁😁 ^-^
This video was perfect time length for my spaghetti sauce to simmer so aside from the fantastic content thank you for that 👍
YESSSSS GANDALF MEME
❤