Photo Credit: Personal collection, 2015.
Two things I’ve missed most this year have been people watching and visiting art museums. In the past, when I traveled, I often looked for opportunities to do both and always returned home with new bits and bobs that I could weave into my storytelling.
Having spent the bulk of this year alone in my apartment, I’ve often felt like I’m trying to write in a vacuum. But I recently remembered a project that was assigned to me during my senior year in college for an art and music history class. And it’s helped add a little bit of something back into what I’ve been missing. And best of all, you can do it too without leaving home. All you need is an internet connection, a timer, and something to write with.
Using art to set the scene
No matter what world you create—fictional or based on reality—art (and music) plays a role in the future of your story world. Art doesn’t just give us a clue about how the artist perceived the world they lived in, it gives us insight into traditions and values and stories that have been otherwise forgotten.
Why do I like this exercise? Observing existing artwork from throughout history and from various different cultures can really help inform our writing. It also helps keep those observation skills in shape until we can get back out into the world and start people watching in person again.
Step 1: Look up art and artists who might be considered contemporaries for your world—be it historical, fantasy, modern, or futuristic. You can also look up images of birds, trees, and other types of fauna that might be found in your story setting if you’re struggling to populate your world.
Step 2: Pick an image that captures your eye, set the timer for 20 minutes, and write everything you observe. Textures, perceived sounds, smells, tastes, evoked emotions. The way the light captures the eye. Everything.
Step 3: Set the timer for another 20 minutes and create a scene for the piece, write about the sensations it evokes when you look at it, or work the elements you’ve observed into a section of your WIP that is lacking detail. Be sure to use all the senses, not just visual cues!
Don’t stop there. If the timer goes off and you’re still finding things to write about, keep going. Or come back to it again throughout the week as many times as you want. The more you look at that piece of art or bit of nature, the more you’ll see.
Good luck!
—Jen