In fiction beautiful words strung together with care paint vivid scenes that the reader can use to anchor the action in the book. Today's insight from a pro is taken from A Novel Idea, a compilation book with advice from several best-selling authors.
The storm had continued throughout the afternoon. A thick layer of white frosted the Victorian city. Snow piled up on ornate iron railings leading to solid front doors and pristine powder nestled on the windowsills. The city sounds muffled, and Margaret felt peaceful. The sidewalk stretched before her, a patchwork of lumpy piles of slippery snow and portions that had been safely scraped off. She picked her way south, careful to keep her balance.
After walking a few blocks, she came upon an empty lot where children played. Their shrieks and laughter made her homesick. Janice and Jeffry would have loved to join in the fun. She stopped and watched the kids rolling large snowballs around in circles, and then they worked together to stack them up, creating knobby-looking characters with coal eyes and crooked coal grins.
