Fiction writing (making art too!) opens the world to endless possibilities. There is so much to draw from, where do you start? Here is what I do when I’m working on my stories, books and art collages. I look for what I call micro muses. I take pictures of random things I come across throughout the day. (Another thing I owe to my lovely iPhone) These work excellent for character development, a MacGuffin, and/or plot devices.
For example, I came across this flocked Mary and Jesus set of banks. My first thought was to buy them and further embellish their holy-yet-fuzzy bodies. Aw, too predictable!
Instead I decided to find a way to adapt them in a story. There are so many possibilities! Maybe there is a character who buys one, takes it home, drops it and finds a mysterious “help me! I’ve just been kidnapped!” note that someone slipped inside. Maybe she is an uptight Pottery Barn slave and her best friend/maid of honor chooses these as bridal shower centerpieces – thus creating a rift in their friendship. Maybe a girl plans to tell her boyfriend she is cheating on him, but then looks up, sees Mary and Joseph watching her, so she decides to give the relationship a serious second chance.
Sure Mary and Jesus flocked banks make for an easy spin-off, but this exercise works with just about ANYTHING.
Open your mind and take a second look at the things you normally don’t notice. Street signs, window displays, the backpack of the person standing in front of you at the coffeehouse, a sugar packet, a car broken down on the side of the road, a velvet bow on on a little girl’s head, etc.
Pull out that camera and snap away! And save the picture because you can use it in an art collage downthe road 😉
Remember – creativity is in the eye of the beholder!
