Essay on Writing Techniques: Using Location to to Convince Readers

In essence, through motion, the author or director can capitalize on the setting and location. For example, if a shooting happens, the criminal usually eludes, and this can include a road chase in a bid to apprehend the criminal. Also, authors can use motion to tell the story. For instance, if an explosion happens,, glass can fly to harm a stander by, which in turn, could explain why a certain individual died. According to Allen (2016), the author should let the reader know how rich Persian carpet feels under her feet, how it muffles her footfalls, as well as how she is tempted to remove her shoes. The author, in this setting and location, should not tell us how soft the sofa feels until she sits on it, as well as let her smell the fragrance of the flowers from the flower vase. As such, in this instance, the motion is imperative. As such, in the fiction, the director or author should be able to use active verbs to set the scene. Therefore, instead of writing that a heavy gold plated table dominated the room, the author should instead force the character to detour around the table. For example, instead of writing, light glittered from the crystal chandelier, the character should blink at the prismatic display. According to Allen (2016) walking through a description helps break down details so that the reader does not feel bored.

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Another technique that directors or authors can use to use location and setting effectively is revealing the setting via the experience of the character. According to Allen (2016), what the character knows directly influences what they can see. In the previous example, the orphan may not know where the carpet is from; it could either be Moroccan or Persian. As such, through the experience of the character, the author or director is capable of conveying these details. As such, the author can use the mansions owner to highlight the heroines ignorance or the scene or setting can be written from the perspective of the owner. It should be noted that different character is capable of perceiving similar surroundings in a variety of ways, based on the familiarity of the setting. For instance, a fisherman and a tourist from the city will see a coastline from different perspectives. Each of the perspectives of these characters will be shaped by a different set of experiences. As such, it is important for authors and directors to consider the experience of the characters in the development of the mystery. For instance, in Ball Johns novel, In the Heat of the Night the author uses expositions to show experience, that subsequently helps develop the story. On page 2, it says, "It made him again conscious, as it had for the past three years..." On page 13, it says, "...station that dated back at least fifty years." Lastly, on page 3, it says, "As on the two previous times this... As such, by pointing out what prior experience highlights, the author is able to develop the story further.

The author or director should also capitalize on the mood the characters to reveal the setting. According to Allen (2016), what we see is greatly impacted by what we feel, and the same should also apply to the characters in developing the mystery. In essence, filtering the scene through the characters feelings greatly affects what the reader sees. For example, when the heroine in the previous example strolls an archetypal stretch of a British moorland, and across the ruins, she views an ancient watchtower, with a jumble of stones that crown the hillside. Logically, the heroine will be tempted to explore, which is irresistible. As such, this should provide the author or director with an opportunity to develop a story as she climbs the hill to the watchtower, which should be connected to her feelings, such as being a reminder of how far she had come from the dirty high school she despised. Also, the author or director should also capitalize in revealing the setting through the senses. According to Allen (2016), the perception of the character of a setting will affect and be influenced by the senses. For example, a stranded hiker may not notice the fragrance of the grass of someone who was killed, but rather, will be keen and aware of the cold wind and the danger of thunderstorm or lighting striking that can lead to the death of a character in the story. For instance, visual information tends to be processed at a cognizant level, and thus, we make decisions and subsequently take action based on what we see (Spierling et al. 2002).

As such, authors and directors in crime fiction should capitalize on visual input to appeal to the readers intellect, and thus, be able to take advantage of setting in developing the mystery. Also, it is paramount to ascertain that emotion is also affected by what we hear. For instance, loud sounds can make us shiver, shudder or jump, or even make us smile or relax. As such, sounds evokes emotional responses, which the characters should emulate in accordance to the location or setting. For example, in Dashiell Hammett novel, chapter nine, paragraph 124, it is clear that the author uses sound and visual input when he writes,

The silvery streak ended its flashing slant in the ring, with a sound that was partly a thud, partly a snap. Ike Bush took his arm out of the referee's hand and pitched down on top of Kid Cooper. A black knife-handle stuck out of the nape of Bush's neck (9.124).

By using visual and sounds of a knife on someonesneck and the sound of a thud or a snap makes Dashiell Hammett develop a fictional story that attracts the reader to read more in anticipation that something bad might happen.

Also, another important aspect of effectively using setting it to capitalize on smell because it has the capability of evoking memories. As such authors and detectives should use the sense of smell to develop a mystery in storytelling. For example, the odor of a rotten body means that the victim was killed a long time ago, and the body dumped to cover up the crime. Additionally, character interaction is another way that authors and directors can effectively use location and setting. It is the interaction that is important for the place and setting as it facilitates creates an opportunity for the writer to convince readers of why that character interacts with the setting in that manner. In essence, by concentrating on and making a description of the interaction, it is possible to manipulate the mood, reveal important traits of characters, as well as moving the action in that scene. For instance, a person whose father was killed when he or she was a baby can remember one of the clues that may lead to the apprehension of the murderer, such as connecting to a certain tattoo or body scars.

In addition, Jewell and Hooper (2011) point out that using location aware narrative is important. The authors point out that writing is subject to influence, either unconsciously or consciously and from all sorts of aspects such as locations visited and people met. The use of location in writing, as well as in movies has been facilitated by the development of location-based systems, such as GPS-enabled mobile devices, which enables writers and directors to answer questions about the route to be used, as well as the nearest facility or place about a certain need. As such, this allows the authors and directors to tell the mystery. For example, a plot whereby a criminal stole a trackable vehicle can lead the detectives in front of his house, where he is arrested. Jewell and Hooper (2011) also revealed that...