A Writing Prompt Using a Photograph as Inspiration

Photographs capture the surface details we need to draw readers into our created realities, whether it be fiction or nonfiction. And the subjects they contain can raise questions about relationship dynamics and personality quirks, helping us piece together character profiles.

For one of our writing exercises, Annette and I invite participants to choose an intriguing photograph that relates to their current project:

Is there a story here?

1. Look at that photo very closely. Make a list. What’s happening there? Describe your emotional response. What can you say about the people or their stories? What can you surmise about their relationships and circumstances? Are there sensory details—beyond the obvious visuals? Describe everything you see.

2. Now freewrite some thoughts about what you think was happening just before or just after this photograph was taken. (What’s freewriting? See our blog post http://thescribes.ca/try-freewriting-to-discover-the-writer-within/.)

3. Now write a scene.

Did you gain some character insights you might use in your narrative? Some of our students find the close study of a picture surprisingly productive. Send us a note to let us know what your response is to this exercise.

And here’s a final tip from former student Scott Elam: surround your writing space with images that relate to your project, whether the subject is a past era or an unfamiliar landscape. Maybe you’re writing about somewhere exotic, like current student Tim Kennedy, in which case colour images of lush jungle vegetation and animals on his bulletin board will inject life into his writing.

See our earlier post http://thescribes.ca/photographs-can-provide-details-for-writers/about the use of historical photographs as research documents.