Young Writers Society

How would one go about making a scene that is set outside, in the dark of night, surrounded by towering trees useful in a scene in which the main character is watching another getting stabbed?

I really need to create a believable picture to the readers. Noting on temperature and nature are my biggies.

How can the watcher see?

You're going to have to provide some source of illumination, whether the moon or a flashlight or the headlights of a car. Unless there are night vision goggles involved. That'd be potentially interesting. Or heat vision goggles.

But, I'd suspect one would go about it much the same as writing a character going to the grocery store.

Well, not really. Unless going into the woods is part of an errand. But the character could be behind the trees, or not behind the trees. Or could just be hearing a character getting stabbed.

I go back to my other point, though, about writing it much the same as a character going to the grocery store. You write it. The character goes somewhere, and sees something, and you...write it.

And then, my usual advice applies too; you'll never know until you write it.

(I'm really quite smitten with this night goggles idea though...)

Stabbing isnt a swift method of killing like they show in the movies. unless a major organ like the heart or brain were hit you are talking about a slow death... one that could take minutes to hours depending on if the person was left. Heck! if left the person might survive! stab wounds are easy to put pressure on and are not efficient for allowing blood loss. this is why you hear about people stabbed 30 times in the chest and found still alive. which would beg the question.... what is your character doing while someone is being stabbed a few dozen times??? ha ha. if you want to kill them fast have them cut. a severed carotid artery is death in 19 seconds, a femoral artery is death in a 80 seconds, although it varies.

You could also play around with the lack of illumination. Maybe all she can here is the screaming, and little glints of blade and blood every now and then. Like Rach says, really all there is to do is write it.

You could talk about the jagged trees, and the jagged breaths of the victim, or jagged edge of the knife blade. If the killer is using a knife, I'm assuming this is a crime of passion? Or is it a serial killer who likes to stab his victims to death? If it's a crime of passion, once the killer is done, he'll probably regret it. If it's a serial killer, he'll talk while he's doing it, he might have a serious demeanor, like he's duty bound to finish off his victim.

Plus, about temperature, when your stressed your heart rate shoots up.You capillaries will dilate and at first, you'll be hot. After awhile though, you'll cool down because dilated vessels and such aren't as good at keeping you warm.