Take Time to Smell the Flowers

After my critique group last night I have learned a couple things. For one, my writing has shown improvement after a few months of working in the group. Second, I am finally doing more showing than telling, whew hew! Third, and this to me is the most important, I realized that part of why I was doing so much telling is because I was not stopping to smell the flowers.

Honestly, that is the only way I can relate what I was doing. Before, I rushed into the field, took a quick look around, then moved along. Now, I notice the color of the grass, is it green, blue-green, yellow, dead, prickly, soft, short, overgrown, does it smell musty, like large amounts of moss are growing, or is it new growth, very firm? Taking the time to find details in my scenes makes a big difference in my writing.

I also learned how to use the five senses when describing something. What did the character smell, feel, hear, see, or taste. Granted, that last one is a bit more difficult as none of my characters taste trees, grass, houses, etc... But still. Taste has it's uses, just maybe not as often.

So what is the lesson for the day? Stop and smell the flowers! Notice every little detail.