Description & Setting: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Believable World of People, Places, and Events (Write Great Fiction)

From book blogger Alex Kourvo at the Writing Slices blog.Writing good description is tricky in fiction. To tell a story well, a writer has to handle exposition, backstory, characterization, passage of time, and a host of other things. Slipping in description without stopping the flow of the story is essential. Using description to actually further the story is next-level. DESCRIPTION AND SETTING will help writers see description not as a necessary evil or a story-stopper, but as an enhancement to deepen characterization, move plot, and make the setting feel real.Rozelle speaks to writers at all levels. He explains basic concepts very well, but also teaches more experienced writers how to push themselves to make their descriptions do double or even triple duty. He covers character description, time and place, and how each genre deals with setting. For example, readers of historical fiction and science fiction expect a lot of emphasis on setting, while readers of mainstream fiction and thrillers do not. Rozelle gives advice about showing and telling, how to keep the story moving forward, how setting interacts with character, and how to use all five senses in our fiction.

I've had this book in my collection for some time, and tried once before to read and make use of it. As I am moving forward with my first book (am now at the stage where I am turning show into tell), I thought it might help to read this. Sadly, this is the weakest entry in a series of books that are a bit up and down in style, content and usefulness.Firstly, I have to say I agree with the other reviewers - the way in which this book is written is, at times, painful. Ron Rozelle breaks all of his own rules by virtue of not pairing down his OWN writing. It makes for rough reading wherein one can easily skim whole paragraphs without missing anything. This two hundred and eight page tome might easily have been whittled down to one hundred and twenty five pages or thereabouts if the editor had been a wise one.Secondly, Rozelle has the bad habit of referring mostly to literary fiction as opposed to balancing the book between that and commercial fiction. In fact, many of the books he alludes to were written decades ago and, in today's market, while they may have been solid examples of how to write THEN, they are not always good examples for today.Thirdly, the various exercises at the end of each chapter also vary in quality and usefulness. Some of them are excellent, some of them so ridiculous that I can only assume, as with much of the book, a word or page count was required by the publishers. This is one of those times where less would actually have been more.Despite all of this, there is ONE chapter that is packed with useful information and which moves along amazingly well - Chapter Four: Showing, Telling and Combining the Two. Had Rozelle written the entire book in this way, it would be a thrill to read and make use of. I could easily assume someone other than Rozelle had written this chapter because it is so different from the rest of the book.I can usually get through a book like this in a day or two - two weeks after trying to give this a read, I am still only halfway through it and most likely will not finish it. BUT, it was worth the time to read chapter four as it has been of great use, and on that score I think the book is worth owning (if only by virtue of buying it used).

Wonderful, helpful, concise, brief and to the point. Well done. Gives me confidence that I have the know how to get my book finished.

This book is very instructive for both beginning and experienced writers. If you are already a writer, this book will give you lots of ideas that will make your manuscript even better. One thing I really liked was that when the author shared a particular tip, he quoted examples from noted writers that illustrate how they put that skill into practice in their own novels.

I have read a few books on writing. Most of them seem to a tribute to the author who you never heard of, but this book focuses an one area and does it oh so well. By showing examples and techniques to construct your writing by deconstructing great writing, she walks you through the writing process. Stephen King’s On Writing is the other one.

There are some solid tips and helpful exercises in this book designed to help you write readable descriptions and settings. I think, however, like any book on writing, you get out as much as you put in. In other words, you've got to practice as you read.I did find a lot of the helpful hints repetitive (in that I've read them in other books), but I guess good advice gets repeated. So, if you're new to writing and books on writing, I suppose this would be as good a place to start as any!

This was one of the best writing books I've ever read. It not only teaches, it provides models that can help you to get a good grasp of each concept by reading successful examples. Though setting and description may be only two pieces of the writing puzzle, this book convincingly emphasizes their importance. You will be a better writer after reading this book.

I haven't read it all yet but it does give me ideas on writing my settings from different perspectives. Its worth a read, in any event

I have found it helpful and it is definitely a book that I will go back to again. I purchased it in 2012 and had dipped in and out of it I think, but before reviewing a book I like to read through from beginning to end to make sure that I'm giving a fair review.The information and advice in this book suggests the right ways to do various things and obviously some writers ignore this and go on to be best sellers. I recommend it.

A book of concentrated sunshine, each chapter opens the mind, take each as it comes, and work your imagination meditatively.

Really enjoying reading through this as I am writing my first book. Easy to understand, exercises at the end of the chapters to help you focus your ideas. Really pleased with this. Very practical

Accurate description, quick delivery

Very informative and a helpful guide in developing story writing. I constantly refer to its pages as I make an attempt to produce a best seller