Writing from Pictures

Sometimes I find myself in situations where I am at a loss for inspiration. Luckily, there are tons of writing prompts out there to peruse through. I am finding the photo prompts to be incredibly interesting. Using pictures in order to create a story can open up so many ideas. I have noticed that a few of my blog friends have also used this exercise, and some have shared their stories. I have read suggestions about using this type of prompt ranging from flipping a magazine open to a random page, picking a picture, and writing about it to getting a random picture from a friend.

I am currently reading a book by Ransom Riggs called Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in which he has taken collections of old photographs and created an entire story using them. The pictures are including within the story and incorporated in a unique way. The novel almost makes me want to go out and start hunting down old black and white pictures! The story is not what you expect it to be (in a good way), but Riggs has taken the pictures and used them in a way that makes the story seem real.

Writing from pictures gave me another idea as well. I love to "people watch." I find the adversity in the human race to be fascinating. I cannot always capture unique moments in photos, but I can capture them in my mind. If I can write from a picture, I can write from a memory. I suppose you could try to sneak pictures of people and situations, but getting caught could have soem adverse effects I'm sure. I try to carry a small notebook around with me to record my observations. I also take notes on my phone.

I think some really interesting stories can come from looking at pictures and real life observances. I am going to start seeing what kind of pictures and situations from which I can gain inspiration. I would also like to see what would happen if several people take the exact same picture and write a short story about it. I bet if you took five people, you would get five uniquely fun stories.

Have you ever used pictures as inspiration? What kind of stories have you been able to write from them?

Happy writing!

Copyright (c) Emily D. Wood
Photo Credit: Photl

Writing Decisions

I have finally made the decision to push myself forward and become a more dedicated writer. I find that nearing the end of my "career" as an undergraduate student has ignited some type of flame within me. I know that every person who feels that they were born to write has the similar dream of becoming a famous author. I would love to see my name etched across a book cover along with a title of a best-selling novel that I wrote. I know that if I ever want to even get near even publication consideration that I must never give up. Life can be incredibly distracting and difficult. I have a full-time 40-hour-a-week job, 5 undergraduate classes, and basically zero free time for myself right now. The time I can devote to just me, I have decided to give to my writing. I feel that if I can write just one page per day or just a few lines of poetry, I have succeeded in some small way. I know that if I push myself forward I can gain so much more than simply becoming a famous author can give me. Writing seems to teach me things about myself that I am not even aware of until they come out on the page. It is as though I am introducing each side of me to another side of me. I find that being able to paint colorful pictures on a page with words alone is more freeing than anything else I have ever done.

With that said, I leave this page with a couple of awesome quotes:

"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say."   ~Anaïs Nin

"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." ~Ray Bradbury

Write your heart out!


Copyright (c) Emily D. Wood

Photo by: Photl
Quotes compliments of Quotegarden

Positive Words

As a writer, sometimes finding words with positive connotations can be a bit difficult. I am not a negative person, but there are times when I feel as though all of the words I am getting down on paper practically bleed impending doom. I have been attempting to encorporate a few positive words in conjunction with my fire-and-brimstone ones in order to add a bit of balance to my poetry while still maintaining my personal style. I found a link to a site that provides an entire list of positive words.

I also find that just reading some of these positive words do create positive thoughts. Sometimes writing can be difficult and discouraging. I feel that we all need a bit of positive thinking in our lives from time to time. I find that it helps me pull myself back up and realize that the struggle is worth it.

Happy writing, everyone!



Perhaps this list can be of some use in the future.



Photo: Photl

You Just Never Know

This little flower surprised me one day as I was heading into the building at work. I was not having the most particularly fabulous day. You just never know what you are going to come across that will instantly cheer you up. This brick is a porch wall outside the building. I just could not resist capturing this moment. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Maybe I will even write a poem about this.

Photo: Copyright (c) Emily Wood