I gave the writing craft workshop this afternoon for my group - Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada - and thought I'd share some of the collages I created for the session.
The session was Visual Inspiration - A Collaging Workshop for Writers, and I focused mainly on using online collage programs to create inspiration boards as a writing tool.
Our group has been very enthusiastic about using traditional 3-D paper collage as a way to really get a handle on the story elements in a work-in-progress.
So today I introduced a few computer methods to create collages, as well as sharing the way I personally use collaging as a means to focus on nebulous things like hitting the emotional points of the story.
Main ideas I touched on:
* turning to screencaps from film and TV shows to grab the emotional moment, rather than using a photoshoot image of an actor or actress
Going for this:
rather than
* focusing on a specific element such as a relationship dynamic, or the three main plot points needed for the three-act structure, when creating a collage.
Going for this:
instead of
You can click on the collage to enlarge the image.
Using collage as a meditation tool - so that you have a visual focus for your subconscious to work on - will help to get you out of being stuck either during a first draft or during revisions.
Here is a traditional collage I did for the Scorpius story using paper, scissors and glue during a writers' retreat:
Here's a computer collage I did for the same story:
Find a simple collaging program - the one I used was Picassa - and start throwing images onto the screen. The template can bring images to your attention in a way you'd not considered before. This can be the elusive nudge to settle your story back onto the right track, or help you to consider a new way of looking at your characters.
2 comments:
Julia, so glad you posted about today's session. I was so disappointed I couldn't be there so this is the next best thing.
I love the suggestions you made about picking movie scenes that depict the emotion. Or picking the pictures that depict the turning points. Never thought of doing that.
Interesting idea.
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