Sense of space

I’m currently mentoring a creative writing course at Writer’sVillage University, and this week, I’ll be speaking about using the senses in writing. When you think of the senses the first to come to mind are the ones related to our sensing organs: touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. For this post, I am tapping into all of those as we look at the overall sense of space.

To better understand what I’m talking about, consider the idiom “taking up space.” The negative connotation is a uselessness or a waste of space. But for our use, we will flip things around and create a positive: a sense of space where each item matters and has purpose. 

A sense of space in writing

A sense of space has to do with creating setting or atmosphere. Of course, it should go without saying that you want to “show” the space and not just tell us what it is. For example if the setting is a cramped space, you want the reader to feel it, and even smell it. Is it damp and musty? Has technology failed, trapping your character in the space? If you’re jammed into a place with others, the experience is different that a person alone. And that’s the key. Experience. You want your reader to experience the space you’ve create. That is the sense of space.

Pumping Your Muse writing prompt

Today’s writing prompt challenges you to create a sense of space. I’m offering mix-and-match elements. Choose a character from list A and an element or elements from list B and create a sense of space. For fun, you could try more than one match-up to see what you learn.

List A: Characters

• kitten
• elderly woman or man (or both)
• middle aged business man or woman (or both)
• pregnant woman
• seven-year-old boy or girl (or both)
• school bus driver
• hotel housekeeper
• mechanic

List B:

• box
• bus
• ring
• mud
• dreams
• lighthouse
  
• garage
• waiting room
• cemetery 
  
• kitchen table
• bed
• keys
• lost
• flat tire
• accident
• broken bone

Remember to engage all the senses to make your sense of space pop!

Photo credits: pixabay, pxhere, maxpixel

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About The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad

Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions. 

 

The Inheritance is available on Kindle, paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (Christian fiction), Smashwords and Google Books. When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support. 

About Dragonborn by Donna Sundblad

 

Dragonborn conjures up a winning fantasy with dragons, humans, time travel, and magic. Follow the journey of the young prisonguard, Ervig Greenfields, as he seeks out dragons to remove a curse. The dragons offer him access to the Labyrinth of Times, which will purge the dark magic. But there’s a catch. Erving must take the Dragon Oath that requires allegiance--to fight alongside dragons for centuries, never to return to his own time. He and a handful of others take the selfless oath and become Dragonborn. The Dragonborn and their dragons become seeds of change, in this epic tale, of sacrifice for the greater good. Ride along with them as they slip through a tear in time to the past to change the future. 

Dragonborn is available on Kindle, paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (Christian fiction), Smashwords Apple and Google Books. When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support.