Prepared by: Margery Casares
Posted on: Mon, 5 Mar 2001
Reposted on: Sun, 28 Mar 2004
Reposted on: Mon, 4 Jul 2005
Exercise: Lighten up!
A writer may describe light in several
ways. Light has color,
character,
and motion, and it has a definite effect upon the beholder. There are
numerous descriptive words for light.
LIGHT COLORS: A few words used to describe
light are: opalescent,
silvery,
dusky, golden, pearly, coppery, frosty, dusky, et cetera.
LIGHT CHARACTER: A few descriptive words
for the character of light
are:
dim, bright, brilliant, faint, murky, intense, shadowy, obscure,
mellow,
bleak, wan, hazy, pale, radiant, soft et cetera.
LIGHT MOVEMENT: Picture light suggested by
the following adjectives:
dim,
bright, brilliant, faint, murky, intense, shadowy, obscure, mellow,
bleak,
wan, hazy, pale, radiant, soft, fading, beaming, glowing, et cetera.
LIGHT EFFECT: A few light effect words
are: dazzling, blinding,
glaring,
soothing, cheery, stimulating, peaceful, depressing, gloomy, dismal,
somber, cold, hot, warm, chilling, cool, irritating.
Choose words to describe light by keeping
in mind that your
description
must reflect the disposition and mood you wish to create for the
reader.
EXERCISE:
Write a scene or scenes in 300 words or less, using light to
illuminate the reader's understanding of the character, the setting, or
the activity in the scene.
Patricia Johnson's wrap-up
Posted on: April 18, 2004
Several forms of light were used in the
submissions. They included a
good mix of natural and artificial light; TV light in a darkened room,
light in a cemetery, neon light, strobe light, cigarette light, candle
light, flames, starlight, moonlight, and sunsets. Some of the
techniques
for using light included contrasting light and shadow, animal's
reactions to natural light, transformation from day to night, and using
light as a living image. Some submissions relied on one source of
light,
while others used many diverse kinds of light.
The most successful submissions managed to
describe light in detail
so
precisely that it was essential to the piece. When light was used well
it created mood, showed changes and emotions of characters, represented
symbolism and foreshadowing, and worked in harmony with the story
without distracting the reader. Many submissions managed to give a good
excerpt piece without relying on a finished story line.
Things to address next time include close
attention to the details
of
light. Clarity is necessary. Tying the light accurately to the mood and
emotions in a story takes time to develop well. Rewriting may be
necessary before submitting to the list. A total picture can be
conveyed
using light in a short word count, but it takes practice!
Web site created by
Rhéal Nadeau and
the administrators of the Internet Writing Workshop.
Modified by Gayle Surrette.