Nils Ödlund

Nils Ödlund is a writing and fantasy enthusiast. He's currently chipping away at a couple of shorter stories while waiting for a novel to mature enough to get started on a second draft. Ödlund lives in Cork, Ireland. When not writing, he enjoys exploring the countryside on foot, and when the weather gets too bad he'll stay home and play games on the computer (or write some more). You can follow Ödlund on his blog [s v r t n s s e ? Making stuff up. Drinking beer and coffee. Walking around.] where he mostly posts pictures of coffee, beer, and the Irish countryside.

Understanding How Readers Read

by Nils Ödlund

When I started writing – three, maybe four, years ago – I just wrote. I didn’t really think much about it as I sat there with my laptop, tapping down my stories and making things up.

I was happy with how they turned out. I had a good time, and I made up some really cool characters – most of which are still around in one form or another.

Then, eventually, I joined a writing forum and began to share my work there. I discovered there were a whole load of do’s and don’ts when it comes to writing:

A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Descriptions – Part 1

by Nils Ödlund

Now and then – both on the forums here on Mythic Scribes and elsewhere – I come across the question about how to write descriptions. This guide is meant as an introduction for beginners and will start with the very basics on how to set up, and write, a description of something.

In this part I will touch upon three things:

First Impressions
Where to Start
What to Include

This guide is based on personal opinions and experience. These are not rules for how to write descriptions, but rather an explanation of what works for me.