Sunday, August 31, 2008

Words or Pictures...?

I have been thinking a lot about how other writers experience the ideas that they have.

I haven't been to very many author talks or discussions over the last 4 years, time hasn't been kind I suppose. I realise that some writers see still or moving images in their heads or perhaps hear voices of their characters, while some writers see words like a thread of cotton passing from the brain and down to the pen. But which writers, see which?

For my own writing I mostly see pictures, sometimes still - sometimes moving. Like a story board. Sometimes I try to sketch out the images, that helps but I draw quite slowly and besides drawing isn't my forte.

HOW WEIRD!

I just skipped over to blog lines mid post because my mind was starting to wander, and Justine Larbalestier has recently finished her post saying she wishes she could draw... some of the comments expressed the same frustration with drawing to express their visual ideas. Interesting.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's a good question. How do writers "see" as they write? I am there, I am in the place, I am the characters, etc. (It's like getting to be an actress and playing all these different parts.)

But I find I have started to add photos. I can't draw; so that hasn't even occurred to me. But photos work to flesh things out, also break up the text space. I kinda fell in love with this aspect of photo-and-story when I read LET'S DON'T GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT (do I have that right?) by Alexandra Fuller.

No, I haven't published fiction yet, but working toward it!