Saturday Writing Essential: Word Paintings

Great novels are like photographs. The creative wells from which they spring are common to both writers and photographers.

It takes a special talent to snap that one-in-a-million, heart-stopping shot. It's this same insight, this extra-perceptive eye for the "visual feast" that allows writers to capture a scene. Of course, all senses must be employed. Sights, sounds, aromas, tastes and touch combine to create a unique sense of place that may ooze pastoral sensuality, big city grit or hospital room pathos; whatever locale is desired.

It seems as though every image ever impressed upon my brain finds its way into my work. Whether it's the light dancing through stained-glass windows in a Parisian chapel, curly slate-green lichen covering a boulder at the edge of a pond in Maine or hoarfrost dangling from a cherry tree branch in mid-winter, these images burrow into my memory cells. In time they bubble back, persistently itching, until they are poured out on the page.

These abundant, precious scraps of life are sweet fodder for your next story. Soak them up. Reach out all five tentacles with senses throbbing. Skillfully weave them into your fiction. Now, couple them with a bone-chilling plot, memorable characters and convincing dialogue, and you'll have the recipe for a sizzling word painting.

***

Aaron Paul Lazar works as an engineer by day but can be found on weekends in his gardens with his two sidekicks, grandsons Julian and Gordon. His passion lies in writing, where he creates characters of depth, color and substance. Lazar entices readers with intricate plots, lush imagery, breathless action, gourmet meals, classical music, bountiful gardens and surprising romantic moments. Visit http://www.legardemysteries.com/.