One of the difficult things about writing is narrowing down your options to the ones that best resonate with the story you want to tell. For me, it’s much easier to write a story when I already have the field narrowed. When I have to write a blog, for example, and if I know it could be about anything, I’m almost always stumped. If I narrow the field down to writing, then that helps me focus–but even with the category of “writing” there are all sorts of sub-categories, from marketing to creativity to time management to craft. And within each of those, more nesting categories. It’s a matter of choosing a subject and then refining, drilling down until I find the one specific point that resonates with my mood the day I’m writing the blog and then plucking that idea out, and examining it from as many sides as I can.
It’s also the same thing with life. You have so many choices every day–from simple things like “Will I apply for that job?” to “Will I have patience with the idiot co-worker or go postal?” to “Will I pursue my dream?” Each one of those choices then beget more… and if you focus on the totality of all of the choices, you’re very likely going to be paralyzed. You have to take the project–any project–step-by-step.
Fiction’s no different. You have to look at each set of choices you’re making and think about how they’re going to help you throughout the story. Do you want to do first person POV? Or multiple third person POVs? What type of story do you want to tell? What sort of tone fits that story? What sort of characters fit that tone? What sort of setting and premise fit those characters? What sort of ambience and socio-economic backgrounds fit that setting and premise? Etc… drilling down until you find the details that illuminate your original inspiration / goal.
This is where voice comes in–it’s your take on those choices that ultimately define your voice. It’s showing the world how YOU see the story, and giving us a slant on that that makes it uniquely yours. Which will make it memorable.
Instead of using a writing example to show you what I mean, let me jump into a different arena and use a couple of examples.
When I had the idea for this blog, I grabbed a couple of photos I’d taken, and I decided to show you the “before” image and the “after” results once I’d noodled with it in Lightroom. (I also have Photoshop, but for the purpose of these photos, Lightroom did enough of what I wanted, fast enough. If I were going to print and frame these photos, I’d pull each of them into Photoshop and clone out some of the flaws until I had it exactly as I wanted it… i.e., a “final polish”.)
I want to walk you through this process, because it’s going to show my voice and my editing process (same as I use for writing, in a lot of ways).
When I was vacationing in Moab, Utah last year with our oldest son, Luke, and my fabulous daughter-in-law, Amanda, I was experimenting with my camera, and I had a goal of getting some shots that I could play with for dramatic effect.
That right there is the first level of writing: the area was narrowed down: Moab. The tone: artistic–something that I could show off certain ideas I had in my head. So that eliminates me selecting for this exercise all sorts of candid shots of people. As I sifted through dozens of images, I had an idea of what I wanted to play with that would further my goal of an artistic take on a subject. This means eliminating shots that were perfectly good, but which didn’t have an angle or lighting or a detail that I could emphasize.
Okay, let me show you. Here’s the first shot that caught my eye of the ones I took. Now this is straight out of the camera, untouched. It’s a lazy shot–I didn’t bother to stop to get a good light read on the leaves, nor did I bother to frame the shot much. I knew, though, when I saw the leaves originally that I would end up turning the photo in a different direction from the image and playing with it in black and white and cropping it.
It started here:
It’s kinda boring, huh? But when I was walking by those leaves, I didn’t see what’s in that photo up there. I saw this (click on the image to see it in better detail):
The first photo is an example of writing that’s decent, serviceable. The second is voice: I not only converted it to a black and white, I boosted the contrast, the highlights and lowlights, the exposure, and futzed with things like luminescence to gain that “painting” quality. I then framed it tightly. In the first photo, there’s a little fluidity to the leaves, but we’ve got too much backstory around it: the wall of mud, the other leaves, the other sticks, and the dull, monochromatic color. By tightening in on the fluidity of the curves, I tell a story here: something dying can be beautiful, too. I love the almost lace-like quality of that bottom leaf, and I could’ve zeroed in on just that one detail, but I’d have lost the movement this image now has.
A lot of times, writers are afraid that readers won’t “get” the whole idea if we don’t lay out every single piece of information for them in one big information dump. But by giving so much, we render the overall “image” stagnant. There’s this resistance to getting in tight in a scene–a resistance to trusting that the reader will “get” the big picture. Often, it’s too easy to forget that you’re not going to just have that one scene. You’re going to have dozens of them, and if you’re giving us just the information that we need right then, we’ll “get” what we’re looking at, but we’ll also “get” the overall idea as you string a series of those tight images together. I could do an entire series right here on these kinds of details.
A second example I wanted to show you is one where what we see is not what I want you to focus on in the original. Here’s one of the arches in the National Park there in Moab:
Again, kinda boring. I was in a hurry at this point, and tired. I remember thinking about what I’d do with this image, and I took several quick shots. I should’ve metered better for the lighting, but I was starting to lose the sun. Here’s what I ended up with, after playing with it for about five minutes (again, click to see better detail):
That’s the same image, but the second one has drama. It’s going to grab your eye much better than the original, and you’re going to focus on that contrast between the sky and the mountains, whether you knew that’s where I intended to force your eye or not. By converting it into black and white and adding some sepia tones, I was able to get a lot more detail out of the rock face, and more contrast and boosting of the blacks in the photo gave me that effect with the sky.
So if you have a scene that you know is just sort of there, doing its job, looking decent, but it doesn’t feel like it’s grabbing the reader (and if it’s not grabbing you, it’s very likely it’s not going to grab them), then ask yourself, “What’s my vision here? Where do I want them to focus?” I took several shots of that arch above from different angles, but this one had the rockface in the forefront pointing to the sky and so I chose this angle to manipulate. Then I started playing with the colors, with converting it, playing with the contrasts, until the photo started telling you the story I wanted you to see.
In a scene, I’ll do the same thing–I’ll have a scene that’s functioning okay, but it’s too easy for my eyes to pass over it. I want you engaged in what you’re reading–or seeing–and to do that, I’ve got to think of ways of bringing out the details that create a vivid mental image for you. I ask myself, what’s the conflict here? (contrast) What do I want to highlight? What is the emotional response I want to have in the reader at the end of this scene? Do I need the reader to be close in on the detail, or pulled back for the perspective?
Imagery inspires me. If I were to do a final pass on these two images to make them into something that I actually liked enough to frame, I’d pull the top b&w leaf one into photoshop and I’d clone out that bottom stick that protrudes up into the lacy-leaf area. I’d probably futz a bit more with the contrast and texture, and I might add some actual textural overlays onto it to see how they looked (giving it more of an antique feel). On the bottom one, I’d pull it into photoshop and isolate the sky and then increase the contrast just in the sky without screwing with the rocks… so that there was a bit more of that lovely contrasty-sky feel to the piece. Or maybe not. I’m not sure–which is what happens sometimes in the final draft–I’ll put things in, decide they don’t help, and take them back out.
I love editing. I’m a far better editor than I am a writer–or a photographer, for that matter. It’s where I get to refine the choices I made, or throw them out and start with something else.
Imagery inspires me. I love photography for this reason, because it interlaces with how I see the world and informs how I write.
What inspires you? No matter what field you’re in, what is it in your life that inspires you to look at your world with a clearer eye? A happier eye?
Okay. Can I just officially designate you my Guru of Writing? Another fabulous post using such a great manner of illustrating your point.
I’m often inspired by the sublime. An expression on a person’s face, a subtle gesture. Color inspires. Music. The sound of water lapping at a lake’s edge or rushing toward shore in waves. I like to watch people or listen to nature. Lie on a blanket and let the sun warm me the synapses so they start firing. Sit back and feel what’s in the air around me. It’s when I’m standing still with eyes closed that I feel most tuned in to the environment around me.
When I remember to let the world just do its thing, that’s when everything starts clicking. You don’t have to reach out and grab it by its throat. You just have to be patient and wait for it to show you what you need to see.
Aw, thank you, JM. And I love your list of inspirational moments! What a great list.
Thank you for this wonderful post. If you ever teach a writing class you can count me in. I love the photos and the analogy of images tied with writing voice.
Thank you, Kelly! I’m so glad the photo analogy worked. I tend to see the story in these terms as well–not as words on a page, but as images, snapshots. Then I have to work really hard to figure out how to translate that back to language. (I paint — oils — and then photography through school, so imagery is my first language.)
I love photography, although I’m not doing nearly as much with it as I used to, when we had our own darkroom (Yeah, I’m old). But it’s rubbed off–my son gives photography classes, both on-line and in person and has written 3 books that are companions to Nikon software.
I’m likely to use music–song lyrics, or just the mood, for my inspiration.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
Terry — I had a darkroom, too, so I’m old right there with ya. 😉 I also had one at school, for the yearbook, and I’d go in there at lunch and not hear the bells ring. I’d be missing the rest of the day and eventually, they learned to come look for me in the darkroom.
Toni,
I LOVE this blog!! I am such a visual person (have a background in art) and so your analogy completely resonates with me. I have never seen such a direct link between creating a composition in photography and writing a scene. Very inspiring. I like the idea that contrast is to the visual canvas what conflict is to the written scene.
wonderful!!
Laura, thank you! It’s so much easier for me to show this stuff using imagery. I’m thinking of doing one on pacing like this as well — to show in images how a story paces. But that would be a bigger project.
Toni, great visual aids on a process, that for me, is mostly internal!
Thanks, Jen!
Music is my inspiration, which is odd because I don’t really have a “musical bone” in my body. Years of piano led to nowhere but frustration for me and my teachers. I could dance, and loved it, though I had to spend hours more at rehearsal than other dancers even though I did well and received “notice.” I did musical theatre and theatre on a regional level but my first love was always words–painting with words. And it is music that sets up the scenes I paint. I listen. I envision the emotions, the setting, the action inspired by the song. And then I write.
LOVED this blog, Toni! But then you’ve always been an inspiration, too!
Aw, thank you, Silver! And I love music, too. I sort of learned how to memorize the piano when I was a kid taking lessons, and I got fairly decent at it, but I didn’t have the ability to sight read, no matter how much I memorized the chords–I hadn’t learned that way. I’d learned by rote, and I regret that, now. But I can put on some music and the scene will come alive. (Now — I didn’t really write to music with the BF books, but this one, all music.)
If you love piano, btw, try Peter Kater’s “Piano” CD — check it out on iTunes. I love the whole album, though “Thanksgiving” and “Spirit” are probably my favorites.
Toni, those are beautiful photos. I love to take pictures. Not always artistic with them but I love taking them to store memories of a place, a person, or a time. Sometimes I feel that way when I write. I’m storing the memory of a thought or a dream I had. Making it tangible, on paper, to save.
Jill — I’m not very artistic when taking them, either. I’m learning, though. I used to be with the film camera, and then I spent almost 20 years away from anything with an f-stop, and now, it feels like I’m having to re-learn how to walk. Luckily, some stuff is automated and intuitive enough that I can point and at least get something to work with!
I love the idea of preserving a memory or dream… beautiful thought!
I *never* thought about revising this way before and I LOVE it. That example with the leaves was amazing. I was astonished taht you could get the second out of the first. But that’s what a great revision does, right – refines away all that is “not” – not relevant, not enhancing the action, not lovely – and leaves only the core. This is very timely for me since I’m int he middle of revisions myself. It will be close by as I open the file (getting in the chair late today, after a lazy errands day – haven’t had one of those in a while.)
That is a great visual metaphor! Considering that other people ingest drugs so that they can think the way I do for at least a few moments, I will never be able to write fiction. My thoughts wander hither and yon like butterflies on meth-daffodils. My plot “line” would be a plot “meander”.
But I am a decent photographer, and I am telling you right now … those are some awesome photos.
So a nice Booyah for McGee.
You are an awesome photographer. I have photo envy. I take lousy pictures..to the point I never bother taking my camera with me anywhere any more. Sad, huh?
But your comparison was awesome, Toni, because I’d never looked at it that way before, probably because I don’t have that visual bent to my creative thinking processes.
Toni , fantastic photos! I am always amazed, though I am not sure why, how often people with great talent in one field show so much in others. I love to hate those actors, you know, the ones you’d never suspect can sing then one episode, bang, big beautiful voice. You could use recordings of my singing as pest control. And you’re another one who’s, at least indirectly, pointed out that I should get Lightroom, I do everything in Photoshop. Where do you get the time? I am still learning all the tricks in Bridge.
The idea of using image hits home with me, I have to run the scene as a film loop over and over then write it. I am such a newbie I am still trying to find my legs. I have read Alex’s book, but if I am even close to understanding her approach it has the feel of what I did to write long briefs. That was work, work I hated so nope don’t think I can go there. Right now it’s get it on paper, write bios of characters and I think I write in layers. Like in Photoshop, I build the scene in layers, using masks, overlays, textures etc. So far this layer approach seems to work. One thing as a newbie I have already learned is you can spend all your time leaning about writing to the point you never do it. To quote Kermit, “it isn’t easy being green.â€
Wow! You are a true artist! You write. You photograph. Do you paint too? Isn’t photoshop fantastic? I love photography, it allows me the freedom to escape both mentally and physically. In a way I am old-fashioned, I love my film cameras. I probably have 10-15 in various models and brands. I like how they allow me to get into a darkroom to develop my own pictures. I can spend hour in there. It’s quiet and I love seeing my work come to life as it develops. It’s like magic!
Lisa, I do paint–though it’s been a while since I have. I miss it terribly. I keep trying to figure out a spot to set it up so it can stay up permanently, without getting in the way. There’s plenty of room in this house, but nothing with adequate lighting. We’ll eventually enclose a back porch area with big windows and that’ll be my studio.
I had a couple of great film cameras, and I loved developing b&w’s — still have the enlarger, but haven’t done it in probably 14 years. I so so love photoshop, but I’m actually loving Lightroom even more. (It’s mostly for altering the lighting, tones, etc., whereas photoshop does the more sophisticated stuff. They integrate, which is cool!.)