This little blog article fascinates me. I'll explain why at the end of the guest post.
-Stephanie Osborn
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com
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Word Paintings
by Aaron Paul Lazar
Word paintings are like photographs. The creative wells from which they spring are similar in both writers and photographers.
For example, it takes a special talent to frame a great shot in nature. It’s this same appreciation for the “visual feast” that gives writers the extra perceptive eye they need to describe a scene that breathes life into a story. Of course, all of the senses are employed when constructing a literary scene. Sounds, aromas, and tactile sensations all contribute to setting the scene that creates a unique sense of place.
Every image that was ever impressed on my brain ends up in a story. Whether it’s the light dancing through stained-glass windows in a Parisian chapel, curly green-gray lichen covering a boulder at the edge of a pond in Maine, or hoarfrost dangling from a cherry tree branch in January, these images are tucked away in the recesses of my mind. In time, they bubble back, persistently itching, until they are poured onto the page.
If you long to write, if it eats away at you until you are spent after hours of writing, if you ache to join your characters in a daily romp in your parallel universe, this probably sounds familiar. These abundant, precious aspects of life are the sweet fodder for your next story. Soak it all up. And carefully weave them into your next chapter.
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The reason this fascinates me is that -- well, you see, my husband Darrell Osborn is an artist. A GOOD artist. You like the covers on my books? Chances are he did those. And that of some other writers at Twilight Times Books. And those of some other books with other publishers. I watch him work and am in awe: how does he do that? How does an image emerge out of nothingness beneath his fingers? Whether those fingers are holding a sketch pen, an airbrush, or a computer mouse, he's just amazing.
Me? I literally can't draw a straight line with a ruler. Oh, I can see it in my head, but I can't get it represented...
...Unless I use words. I like to say that I paint with words. Given that many fans have said reading my books is like watching a movie in their heads, I suppose I do well enough. And yes, Aaron is completely right in that I store away mental images of the places I've been, the things I've seen, and they all become fodder for my writing.
So yeah, Aaron and I must think alike, LOL.
-Stephanie Osborn
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com
