Episode 20: What is S.E.T.T.? And Why is it Important?

In which Jane ushers us into the inner sanctum of craft. First, she tests Robynne about the five senses needed in our rich fiction and creative/narrative nonfiction. Thankfully, Robynne remembered all five (note the non-hesitation when she rattled them off): touch, sight, smell, hearing, taste.

Once those senses were firmly in our little brains, she pulled out the big craft guns: S.E.T.T.

What’s S.E.T.T., you ask? Jane unwraps it beautifully:

Senses (including all five of them is crucial to giving your reader an immersive experience)
Emotion (if your scene has no emotion, it’s flat)
Tension (if there is no tension in your scene, it will also be flat)
Twist (what unusual detail can you add to shake the scene up a bit?)

Along the way, we talk about the value of The Emotion Thesaurus, and why neither Jane nor Robynne will read or watch scary, tension-filled stuff. Intrigued? Good!

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