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Summarized by durumis AI
- This book is a detail dictionary that helps with setting, providing a variety of keywords that stimulate the writer's imagination.
- Detail is important in setting, and this book reflects the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, and suggests the cause of conflict.
- The book is composed of city and countryside chapters, but it is regrettable that it lacks Korean sentiment.
When writing, there are times when you need to describe the background.
However, not always the 'stage where that event should happen' exists in the writer's mind. Rather, it is closer to being able to come up with a suitable stage after receiving various stimuli.
Background is not really a key element in novel creation. More important is the character and event.
But the background helps create the atmosphere, lay down the music, and help make the imagination feel real. It also plays the role of a savior when the idea is blocked.
In a way, the background may be a more important element for poets. However, for novelists, the background should be something that can be chosen depending on what the characters and events are. To do that, the best thing is to take a trip, and it is also necessary to get a feel for it with photos or videos. But when you work on a deadline, you can't even think about it.
That's when this [Detail Dictionary] is needed. In a way, this book serves as a dictionary or map for setting the background.
"The power of stories comes from details." - From the book cover
It's a quote that you can't help but agree with. The power of stories really comes from the details. For writers who are thinking about how to make it feel real and make the characters empathize, details are the key.
This book is organized into five senses + background description examples. In other words, it presents the most important vision (landscape) first, followed by hearing (sound), smell (smell), taste (taste), touch (feel and feel) in order to stimulate the writer's imagination. It may seem like a random list to ordinary people, but for writers, it can be an opportunity to see new things within that list. It's like an artist studying anatomy, vanishing points, and frames to solidify their foundation. Especially, the "cause of conflict that can occur in this background" is the highlight of this book. As the conflicts between characters move dynamically, the story gains momentum.
The process of refilling your imagination when it's impoverished is not something that can be done solely through conscious effort. Rather than a conscious effort, I think it comes up unconsciously, carelessly, in ordinary words and ordinary landscapes. That's why this book is worth keeping for reference. The fact that it is published in city and country editions and that it is not that heavy despite being a thick book increases the usability of this book.
However, since it is for American writers, there are many places that are unfamiliar to Korean sensibilities - Las Vegas shows, cruise ships, casinos, etc. On the other hand, it's a bit disappointing that places that fit Korean sensibilities, such as PC rooms and cafes, are missing. Then, it would be fun to create your own detailed dictionary by organizing the data you have researched on these places using the structure of this book.
