A to Z Challenge
Theme: Creativity Toolbox
C = Color
As a writer I often find myself staring a white, blank screen with black letters. It gets a little old. Sometimes I long for a splash of color. In fact, I need color to heighten my level of creativity.
Oddly enough, until this last year I never used pictures to help me write my novels. Never. I used pictures to help with poetry, flash fiction, and devotionals, but never with my novel writing. Last year before NaNoWriMo 2011, I took part in a fun blogfest that demanded that I find pictures for my characters and while I was doing that I started finding pictures for the landscapes and the creatures in my story. Soon I had a poster board filled with colorful pictures, and my story flowed faster and easier with that color-filled add to my writing area.
Color can add a deep, rich element to any creative endeavor - even one that mainly finds itself focused on black letters on a white page.
Look outside and gaze at the amazing colors of the creation around you . . . don't you think it's amazing how our Creator took the time to paint the world in striking colors?
Do you use color to boost your creative endeavors beyond shades of gray?
Color Writing Exercise:
Use colored pencils to write a story. Or collect a collage of pictures that represent your story, and spend some time looking at them before you sit down to write. Or draw/paint/collage a picture and then write about it.
Reading this post made me think of one of the homework assignments my Chipmunk has to do. Sometimes, she has to write out her spelling words in color. I always noticed the words sparkled from the page, no longer boring. Interesting the power of a littl color.
ReplyDeleteAngela - that's interesting. I wish my spelling practice had been that fun.
ReplyDeleteA picture inspired my first story, but I've not really used them much when writing. I tend to rely more on music and let the images form in my mind. Guess I'm coloring my brain then, right?
ReplyDeleteLove that image -coloring you brain with music!
DeleteSo many great thoughts! Color is fabulous in writing. Sometimes it's hard to depict the right shade of say, blue. I find this frustrating, but leaving the depth of the color to the reader's imagination is fun. I appreciate it as a reader, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know what you mean. A little color goes a long way, and then the imagination takes it from there.
DeletePictures help me with my writing. So many more details come to life when I have a color photo to study.
ReplyDeleteI've found it's helped me a lot too.
DeleteI've looked at pictures that made me think about my story, but I don't tend to use them often. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteWhen I have my students write, since they detest writing since they have LD's in written expression I always have them begin with a picture and their drawings are so detailed so we connect the details in the drawing to their writing...great post!
ReplyDeleteLove that idea! I had my daughters work with their writing that way when they were young, but sometimes I think I need to remind myself that it can work with any age.
DeleteWhat a wonderful idea! I'm going to use this with my writers support group. Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteI have pictures and drawings to use as visuals when I'm writing my novel. I need a bigger board, though, since I want to work on more than one at a time.
ReplyDeleteShannon at The Warrior Muse, co-host of the 2012 #atozchallenge! Twitter: @AprilA2Z