Describe what the character hears when they wake up, to clue the readers in to where the character lives. Bring the scene to life as much as possible, and really set the stage for the rest of the story.
Overload the scene with descriptive language and details. In general, try to avoid actually writing the phrase “things came into focus,” since you can show your readers how that feels instead of telling them that it’s happening. Introduce details one at a time and try to show the process of things coming into focus. If the character wakes up naturally, then try to draw the scene out so it progresses in a slow and sleepy manner. Waking up in the morning is generally pretty mundane, but there are ways to make it interesting.
#DESCRIBE SOMEONE BECOMING TREMULOUS HOW TO#
(As a side note, if you want to write about drunk or hungover characters, I recommend taking a peek at my other article: How to Write a Drunk Character.) How to Describe Someone Waking Up in the Morning Writing about different situations is going to require different strategies. And of course, waking up in the middle of the night with a hangover is going to feel different from sleeping in late on a weekend. With that said, obviously not everyone wakes up the same way. Were you dreaming? Did you wake up slowly or abruptly? Did you set an alarm? How soon after waking up did you get out of bed? If you focus on how it really feels to do something in your life, you’ll be able to write about it more convincingly. Don’t reach for your phone or the lights, and instead think about what it feels like to come back to reality. The next time you wake up in the morning or from a nap, try to focus on how it feels. Waking up is a fundamental part of being human we all do it. If you want some guidance for writing about that specifically, I have another article that could help you out: Losing Sleep Over How to Write a Character with Insomnia? How to Describe Waking Up If your character suffers from insomnia, then you may find yourself writing many scenes with them waking up, often still tired. If every scene starts with the character waking up, it’s going to feel mundane. And, however tempting it may be, do not overuse this technique. Make waking up a point to focus on, instead of just a lazy transition. Use it as a way of emphasizing something, like your character’s memories, fears, habits, and plans. The act of waking up is not inherently interesting, so it is your job to present it in an interesting way. Instead of just telling them the character is waking up, let them wonder why the character reacts a certain way when they do get up. What is it they have to do? Are they looking forward to it, or dreading it? Do they struggle to get up, because they are injured, hungover, or groggy? Give the readers something to think about. If your character is awake, then they have to do something. If you want to keep your readers interested, focus on the implications of waking up. If you just don’t know how else to start a story, and you have your character wake up and start making coffee, chances are your readers are going to get bored. If you’re going to show a character waking up, make sure there’s a good reason for it. Do you have a good reason to? Is there another way you could start it? If you don’t have a good reason for writing it like that, you probably shouldn’t do it.
If you’re considering starting a scene, or your entire story, with your main character waking up, take a moment to consider why you want to write it like that. If the transition is abrupt, glossed over, or otherwise disregarded by the writer, then it definitely won’t be taken seriously by the reader. Many beginner writers rely on this technique as an easy way to transition between scenes. However, people tend to discourage starting a scene like this, not because it is inherently bad, but because it is a tactic often used lazily. By writing a character waking up in a specific way, you can set the tone for the rest of the scene and offer a unique glimpse into the character’s personality.
But why? Is it always a bad idea?Īnd really, the answer is no you can pull off a good waking up scene that draws readers into the story. Most experienced writers and instructors strongly advise against it. If you’ve ever been in a creative writing or fiction class, then you’ve definitely been told that it is a bad idea to start a story or scene with your main character waking up. 4 Some Parting Thoughts Is It Bad To Start a Scene with a Character Waking Up?
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