History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Atmospheric Sensory Detail vs. Sensory Detail for Plot

| April 19, 2021

A lot of writing advice suggests that you need to load your writing with sensory details. However, other advice suggest that the only sensory details you include should be the ones with direct bearing on the plot. This article suggests a much more balanced approach–including enough sensory detail to establish the atmosphere, but also using […]

Prewriting, or The Writing Before the Writing

| January 14, 2019

How many times have you been working on a writing project, only to have to stop to figure out some tiny detail, without which you can’t go forward? (Granted, there are some authors and advice-givers who say “go forward anyway, and figure it out later.” I’m talking more about the “this is not something I […]