What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?
I’m proud of where I came from. My roots go back to Russia. My paternal grandfather was Russian, a Cossak, and a story for another time. My grandmother was German. There’s a story there, too, but for another time.
I don’t have a favorite album. I have favorite songs from albums, but there’s never been an album where all the songs were worthy of an all-time favorite.
Which topics would you like to be more informed about?
I really enjoy learning about history, so I’d have to go with that. When I’m writing, I come across topics I’d like to work into my manuscripts. For example, in my last novel physics worked its way in. I enjoyed learning about what I needed to know. But overall, it’s difficult to pin down which topics I’d like to be informed about because they can arise and tap you on the shoulder at any time.
In a previous article I wrote on August 14, 2023 entitled, Description and Setting, I spoke about the importance of using description to give the reader a picture; whether seen, heard, or felt. I also made mention of the fact you shouldn’t over describe. Write your seen first then do some ‘nip and tuck’ afterward. Below you will find a list of some ‘nip and tuck’ ideas.
Description Type
Nip and Tuck
I viewed the mountains on the horizon.
The dark, grayish mountains hovered on the horizon with daggered peaks draped with snow.
Ella walked down the dark street at night.
The night sky’s cloud cover rendered Ella’s surroundings along the lone gravel road an inky black and thick with a dewy mist.
The front yard was well kept.
Dawn continued strolling down the sidewalk peering at the house number of each. She’d never been to Sandy’s house before. Most of the front yards sported grass in need of a cut. Then she spied the right house. It had to be, since the front lawn stood out like an outdoor museum. She stopped in front of it, glanced at the house number, and smiled. Yup, this was it.
My elbow hurt.
I bent my arm, and a sharp, stabbing pain screamed at me.
I opened the old door.
The ancient door snarled in defiance, as I opened it.
The two friends fought.
Wild fists flew, as Danny and Eric continued their reckless battle.
The nightmare bothered me.
I lifted the spoonful of cereal to my mouth but stopped midway. The tap, tap, tap, that echoed inside my nightmare continued to hold me hostage. I jumped at the sudden pounding on the back door.
As you can see in the examples above, your descriptions don’t need to be long at all. As long as they are effective enough to get the job done. Like I mentioned in my previous article, Description and Setting, have someone else read it and give you feedback.
