May 22
Are you curious about where stories come from? How a writer comes up with a particular idea? I find it energizing to learn the story behind the story.
Some stories come to their authors in a rush, seemingly out of nowhere. Others say, a chance encounter, or an observation of something odd sparked their story. Then as they wrote, the meaning revealed itself and the language and the emotion rose to the surface and drove the story home. Read more
Photography and writing share many creative principles. One of these is the art of pre-visualization or pre-thinking the creative process.
Recently, I went on a photo tour to Sedona, Arizona, known for its towering red rocks. Our guide led us to a spot with a view of a place called Thunder Mountain. The view was pretty, but we needed clouds along with the glow of the setting sun to create a distinctive photo. The only clouds were off to the side above a range of rock formations.
The next day, I happened to see a photograph from the shoot. The photographer had pre-visualized the end result. He’d focused his attention on the adjacent ridge. He used a polarizing filter and multiple exposures combined with sidelight to capture the sky, the small wisp of clouds, and the texture and color of the rocks. Read more
onewildword 