Write Like a Photographer

From Kate’s Writing Crate...

          In celebration of my father’s birthday, I arranged for a professional photo shoot in the yard to use the bright fall foliage as the backdrop while family members, including the dogs, posed for portraits. As everyone relaxed, candid shots were also taken.

          It’s funny how differently people—and dogs—act when cameras are around. My father’s German shepherd is usually within a few feet of him most of the time. However, when the cameras were turned her way, she knew she was the star of the show. She scampered off with the squeaky ball meant only to make her ears perk up and look at the camera. She sat when asked, but soon was doing her own thing: rolling around in the yellow maple leaves; flopping down with her tongue hanging out; and looking pensively off into the distance instead of at the cameras then racing off to play with the other dogs.

          With digital cameras, photographers can catch all this action by taking thousands of pictures per photo shoot with lots of variations. Subjects in different poses, grouped together and separately. Using close up and wide angle shots. And taking multiples of the same shot to make sure it’s in focus and properly framed.

When we see the proofs, not every photo is going to be perfect. Someone’s eyes will be closed or mouth open. The dogs will be blurry in action. The angle will cut off the top of a head. The wind will have ruffled hair. But some shots taken between these flawed photos will be the gems where the light and shadows are perfect and the subjects are all looking in the right direction with attractive expressions on their faces.

These are the photos worth taking, but they can’t be singled out, only captured among thousands of others.

          Writers have pictures in our heads. We commit them to paper. No pixels, only words. And not just any words, but the right words. It’s an extraordinary endeavor.

This is why we write rough drafts then rewrite pieces repeatedly. Every thoughtful rewrite focuses our writing, develops our style, and sharpens our skills so readers can clearly see our vision.

These are the words worth writing, but they are also only captured among thousands of others.

No one tells photographers every shot has to be perfect. So why does anyone think first drafts have to be perfect?

Write like a photographer. Choose interesting subjects and settings. Group various subjects together and see how they react then rearrange them. Use different perspectives. Try the same perspective, but zoom in for details then out for the overview. Use light and shadow—what needs to be revealed and what can remain a secret? What can be cropped? What’s in focus? Have we framed the piece properly?

Great writing, like great photography, depends on the choices we make.    


 

 

My Room with a View: Perspective

From Kate's Writing Crate...

      

            When I walk into my writing space,

I face an elongated window that looks out

over the yard and the edge of some woods. In

spring, I see dozens of shades of green from

grass, ivy, maple and pear leaves, poison ivy,

larch, and daffodil and Vinca leaves. The

evergreen alone has several shades as the

new growth is Midori green and the trumpet

vine twisting through the branches is the color

of martini olives.

 

The maple trees are mostly taller than the house, but I only see them from ground level up about 15 feet. When seated, however, suddenly the trees tower over me. I can see the tops of all but one. I feel transported to a forest since most of the yard has disappeared from view.

 

As details are important, I measured and my eye level only dropped 14 inches, but my view has expanded by miles. I can now see blue sky behind a hawk sitting high up on a dead branch watching the cardinals at the birdfeeder.

Since I had no idea a hawk was out there, it makes me consider changing my perspectives as I write my novel. What is behind my characters or not at eye level in the scene? What is visible to adults versus children? What do they notice when they sit down or bend over to pick something up?  Answering these questions will ground my scenes.

Paying attention to the details around me as I write my blog or in my notebook makes my writing richer. I have surrounded my desk with things that delight me. I need to really look at them from time to time, not take them for granted as sunlight catches a clear glass sculpture and a mottled forest green ceramic vase differently as I sit or stand. The facial details of two cartoonish dragon figurines are funnier when I sit; my paintings of a stormy sea and a summer beach are easier to appreciate when I stand.

 

Taking a break from writing, I stare out the window again. I notice clumps of buttercups through the branches of the evergreen. As the sky clears, the fairview blue background changes the maple leaves from antique jade to tequila. The direct sunlight brightens the grass to lime twist. Shadows add another layer of deep sea greens to the view.

Specific colors with evocative names help readers better imagine written hues. Use paint color fan decks for inspiration. Brazilian Rainforest and Emerald Vapor are much more enticing than simply dark and light green.

In any scene, there are too many details to describe them all, but hone in on what catches your eyes, nose, and ears. If my window was open, I would add the scent of lilacs, the rumbling of cars passing by, and the occasional dog bark to my description. Training ourselves to notice and note down details like these captures our readers' interest and transports them to the worlds we create.

   

What details do you notice as you look around you right now?