How does a person go about describing a place/experience that they never personally experienced before, like a circus?
I've never been to a circus, and all the shows and videos I've seen about them don't give off the full effect.
How does a person go about describing a place/experience that they never personally experienced before?
Is there a specific feel that a writer should get into in order to write about something so colorful and full of scents?
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Find good Beta Readers
It would be lovely if you had the time to become an expert in all the various different facets of life which are involved in your story. But you don't. Nobody has time for that, and you have a story to write. So do as much research as you can, fill in the blanks as best as possible, and then have people who are experts read your story and identify the things that jar them out of it.
In this case that means finding people who have attended circuses. It would be even better if you could find someone who works for a circus, but that's probably significantly harder, so take what you can get.
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There are many things about a circus that you cannot experience without being there. Maybe you have friends who have been to a circus that you can talk to?
I was recently at a small circus in Kiev during a short visit there. It wasn't just the acrobats or clowns or the animals that were important. The audience reaction was a factor. There was a smell from the animals, even though most of the animals were dogs, cats, or seals. There was a smell from the people. The sounds of the players as they ran to get to their positions.
All of those things either added or distracted from the main purpose of seeing the circus, but they were all something that a character would experience. And don't underestimate the smell. I still remember the smells from a large circus I saw when I was a kid.
With a larger circus, you also get sawdust on the ground and ropes that hold the tents up that can be tripped over. And the refreshments. And the sounds of the barkers who are calling the visitors to their tents.
A circus is a multi-sensory experience and I think that you'll write about it better if you experience one. If not, read a lot about them and watch a lot of videos and try to talk to people who have been to one.
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Experience it yourself
This is one of the things that you should be able to experience yourself. Living the moment will give you so much more information than any book, video, picture, or other description of any kind could ever could.
Be careful when writing about things you don't know anything about
Chances are you will severly misjudge something. You might think that's not a big deal with a circus, but if you are planning to describe a normal circus in great detail there are many opportunities to get something wrong.
If you can't experience it yourself try to get as much information as possible
Try to read books that focus on the topic and see how they describe it. Ask a friend for his experience. Go through the boring, long articles on the internet that describe everything far too detailed to be a little light reading and see what sticks. Watch YouTube videos all day long. Go to Google pictures and type "circus" or "circus popcorn" or "circus elephant" or certain animals or anything that you think might be interesting. Listen to Podcasts that have something to do with the topic. Read short stories and Blog articles.
Especially the experience from other people is important. Ask your friends and family if this is an important part of what you are writing. You will get a few opinions and can then judge what parts seem to be most important. The closer to your target audience your interview partners are the better.
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