Whenever I want or need to be reminded of how to describe a scene, I return to one of my favorite books, Sahara by Michael Palin. Though it is a 'travel' book, it reads like a novel or a series of short stories in which Palin continually introduces new characters as he travels across the dry desert from oasis to oasis, remote town to remote town. He writes with such beauty: his combination of words; his clarity in describing a scene with all the senses: sights, sounds, smells as well as his internal reactions to what is taking place. Sometimes it seems as if he is capable of putting a complete 'scene' into one descriptive sentence.
Oh, to be so good.
As writers know, to become a better writer it is necessary to read the works of good writers. So this morning, cup of peppermint flavored coffee in hand, I randomly turned to page 178 of Palin's book and was not disappointed, immediately feeling as if I had joined him on a camel caravan across the desert among a nomadic culture in which water, sheep and goats play a key role. Not very different from the one I am trying to describe in my 1000 BC historical novel in the Levant, The Thirteenth Moon.
Sure enough, approaching my story after reading his prose for 20-30 minutes, my own descriptive words flowed more freely and I came away feeling pleased with a scene that previously had eluded me.
Thank you, Michael Palin!
No comments:
Post a Comment