So. I've just started a new YA writing project, and what I want is a fictional, fancy-pants, private boarding school set in a semi-secluded area an hour or two from where I live. So off I drove this weekend to see if I could find an actual empty spot where I might "build" my imaginary school. And I found it!
There's this beautiful spot amidst the rolling hills, with an expanse of water that I can "make" into a proper dam/lake for water sports, and forested areas for teenagers to get up to all sorts of mischief in... Perfect :-)
So now I have some photos and videos to inspire and make it all the more "real" for me while I write.
Do you have pictures stuck into your notebook or filed away in your computer's "inspiration folder"? Photos of actors that remind you of your characters perhaps? Or a random picture that inspired a certain scene?
20 comments:
Pretty pictures. I tend to take pictures of the internet for my characters and yes I also sometimes keep pictures from home and garden magazines as well as the Lifestyle section of the newspaper. It makes for a more realistic writing experience if I have visuals to draw on.
These pictures remind me of the rolling hills of Scotland, which I have yet to visit.
For inspiration I tend to let it come, which it mostly does while writing. I also find that staring out of the window also brings ideas. :o)
Good idea. Many times I take pictures without a camera. If I see something really worth remembering I close my eyes and say my secret magic words. I still have fantastic visual memories from when I was a young girl. Weird, right?
What a lovely idea, must copy that. :0)
I do actually do that. My brother and sister in law gave me a set of photo albums just for that reason. I love them!
What beautiful pictures! And such an awesome idea on how to get inspired (and research) for your project. I've never done this, but now I'm tempted to at some point. ;)
Awesome pics! For one of my manuscripts I had my hubby drive the car as I flashed pictures of houses to get inspiration for the house my MC lived in. It was a lot of help and tons of fun :) Great post!
What a beautiful location! I do the same thing, searching for pictures of a person or location or thing to help inspire me and my imagination. Sometimes, if I'm lucky enough like you were, the place I see exists within driving distance. Excellent "I" post!
Yes, I do. And that's a gorgeous place! I want to hear more about your story now!
This is so cool! Makes me want to go on an exploratory drive :)
Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)
Yes! I used photos for both inspiration and for accuracy.
This is a gorgeous setting where YA can thrive - lots of potential for mischief, especially those woods. Great choice!
For inspiration I kick its twin, imagination!
What fun! I love to just drive with no particular destination. Gorgeous pics!
What fun! I love to just drive with no particular destination. Gorgeous pics!
Stunning location.
You should be writing like crazy with scenery like this.
Travels inspire me. I take my of my travels and incorporate them into my story lines. It's so nice to be able to draw on the castles on the Rhine River in Germany. The blue gotta of the Isle of Capri. The canals and centuries old architecture of Venice. Or maybe the casino in Monte Carlo.... I have lots to draw on. It's also fun to reminisce.
That is so *awesome*, Rachel! Wow! I had a former book of mine that took place partly in England, so I went out to the town where it was sent and took some pictures. It did *not* look the way I expected it to, so I was glad for the visit.
Those places in your photos DO look like fun places to be mischievous in :D And I have an inspiration folder on my laptop but it's mostly full of quotes and sentences. I only search pictures when I can't properly visualize a location. Good post!
Wonderful choice of location! I have quite a few photos stored in my writing folder. They are mainly of locations in which scenes unfold. It helps me to visualise the setting so I can describe it to the reader.
One of my scenes is set in a nightclub. I found a website for a nightclub like the one I was imagining and described what I saw in the pictures. I also left the website - complete with sound - open while I wrote the scene so their bass-heavy music became the soundtrack for the scene. :-)
Love the pics! Very inspiring!
I love it that you took a fieldtrip for inspiration. And, yes, I have photos and other memory stashes for my stories.
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