Post #114 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompt – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
A Writing Tip Turns Up on the Coast
Kendra and I both live near the ocean. More accurately, we live near an ocean. I’m 62 minutes away from the Pacific coast and Kendra only has to drive 2 minutes to look out on the Atlantic coast. Recently I enjoyed introducing Kendra to Newport, Oregon. Perhaps you saw last week’s video showing us playing around on the sand.
After we walked a long distance, watching the seagulls for a while, Kendra finally said, “Your seagulls aren’t like the ones we have.” If you look at the video below, you can see some of the beautiful gulls that we captured in flight.
Once you realize that I was raised in Oklahoma and Kendra grew up on the coast of Connecticut, you’ll quickly figure out which one of us is an expert on sea life both in the air and the water. I responded, “What’s different?”
Listen to the sounds at the end of our video and you may be able to figure it out. Then scroll down and I’ll share my writing tip and insight.
Did you listen to the end of the video? If so, you already figured out what I’m going to tell you. Along my coast, our most common gull species is the Western gull, Larus occidentalis. These birds are fairly quiet. Meanwhile, Kendra grew up with the Atlantic coast with the laughing gull, Sterna atricilla. At the end you were listening to Kendra’s laughing gulls while you watched a few of our west coast gulls that posed in front of us.
Writing Tip
Details. Details. Details. Details matter. Details of the scene you write bring your words to life. Details turn you into a storyteller with an audience eager to know more.
When considering what details to use, return to the five senses. Look at the scene in your mind and bring in those elements that set the context — what it looks like, the scents, the taste, the touch, and if you are describing a trip to the beach on the Atlantic coast, the sounds of the laughing gulls.
To do this, you need to slow down. Sure you want to make your point. You might be worried that if you write too much no one will want to read your story. But it is the details that draw the reader into your story and cause them to linger there.
What details will you add to your writing today?
