Collaging as a Tool for Writers

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.