Visual Aids: The Role of Images in Fiction
It sometimes seems sad to me how eagerly artists put themselves in boxes with regard to their chosen medium. “I’m a painter,” one will say, and laugh if you try to talk to them about sculpture; “I’m a writer,” say the writers, and they won’t entertain the possibility of adding a drawing or two. Maybe it’s because we’re so nervous about doing a good job that we are afraid to branch out into more unfamiliar territory. But the fact remains that visual aids can work tremendously in some modern fiction, particularly as graphic novels and comics become more mainstream and more literary. Artist/writers like Art Speigelman should remind us that excellent writing can be greatly enhanced and can challenged when mixed with striking, moving images.
Try adding some visual flavor to your writing.
It’s time to break out the charcoal or the pen and ink and try stretching our abilities a little. Just because we discover our natural talents at a certain age doesn’t mean from then on we should keep steadily shrinking our horizons. Whenever you’re writing a new story, try sketching an important view in the story, or your main character’s face. Draw an important object in the story, such as the main character’s watch or a brooch that belonged to the character’s mother. Use what you learned in art class about shading, depth, foreshortening, perspective. You may be surprised what you can accomplish in your first effort.
Think about what art adds to writing.
There are some things that only images can do. It can take a paragraph to capture the look exchanged between characters in writing that can take just a moment with an arresting image. At the same time, images can’t probe as deeply into the heart of a matter or capture the passage of time or conflict quite as easily. If you can weave these two things together, your story might bec ome something truly original.
Read up on the classics.
Want to research how it’s done? Some personal favorites are Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha and Phoenix series, Art Speigelman’s Maus, and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. There are many other great stories out there that are written by artists brave enough to cross the divide between art and fiction.
Blair, children’s fiction often has illustrations, and I think they add a tremendous amount to any story. As to my own work, while I have a clear picture of my scenes in my head, I don’t feel confident trying my hand at illustrating them.
Wowee! I LOVE to draw & paint. Right now, I’m so totally into painting (with pastels since I have to recline) that I am not writing much. YOU, however, have handed me the solution to this ‘all or nothing’ problem I make for myself.
Curiously, I put very little description into my writing. I use tons of dialogue and action, but NO character description & very little ‘place’ description. I NEVER describe what a character looks like.
Yet, when I ask my vast reading public (all 6 of them) what certain characters look like, they give me wildly detailed descriptions–and insist it WAS in the story! Isn’t that odd?
Anyway, I’d love to try my hand at illustrating scenes from my lengthy treatise, “The Jesus Chronicles.” It’s all the funny stuff that was left out of the Gospels. (The former religion editor of the Kansas City Star, a Pulitzer winner, likes them a lot!)
Has anyone read “East of the Moon, West of the Sun?” More importantly, has anyone seen the glorious illustrations?! Much edgier than Maxfield Parrish (sp?), but about that era.
Also, the early editions of Stephen King’s “The Black Tower” series had illustrations. Peculiar ones, but illustrations nonetheless.
I’m really jazzed about illustrating “The Chronicles,” BLH, & I thank you for inspiring me to do so!
L&K, MaryB
I enjoy your writer your comments on the writing life. I find them helpful to the work I am doing.
For your information, my email has changed to:
shirlweber5@comcast.net.
I very seldom check in with att.net any more. Altho I have moved to comcast, att. still sticks around. The only thing I read there is your column.
Thanks,
Shirley A. Weber
I get lots of ideas about my characters when drawing them. Whenever I’m stuck I take a pen and draw. I also listen to inspiring music while drawing, I guess it helps as well.