Monday, September 2, 2019

Background Music In Writing



Just like that, August is done and September has slipped right in to take its place. It's a transitional month with three weeks still summer, and the last ten days or so bring the beginning of autumn with colors like the photo above, at least in some parts of the country. 

Ken and I were watching a movie on tv the other day, and I mentioned to him how nice the background music was and how it really enhanced the story. Being the good husband he is, he agreed. The story could stand on its own, but the accompanying music made it so much more enjoyable.

That got me to thinking about what might be the 'background' music in the stories, essays, articles, and poems we write. Our background music is made up of all the small things that make good writing even better. 

We've got a story to tell or information to give to readers, and our first goal is to get that story written in a first draft. The main points of the story or poem or whatever. We have the bones, and, as we edit, we flesh it out to give our readers something even more interesting to read. 

This is a partial list of what makes up our background music: 
  • similes and metaphors
  • sensory details
  • description
  • interesting dialogue
  • active verbs
  • showing instead of telling
  • emotion
What other things would you consider the background music in what you write? 

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