Painting a Picture with Words

Photo Credit: Ben White

“The artist must know, must see with his mind’s eye, must feel with his heart and then translate into his own unique language and style.” ―Leonard Cohen

Since making the transition from teacher to writer back in 2016, I’ve gathered a wide assortment of tools of the trade to add to my ever-expanding toolbox. One of the most useful and well-used tools continues to be the invaluable advice to paint a picture with descriptive words that powerfully ignite the reader’s five senses.

This may sound easy and straightforward, but it isn’t, at least not for me. When I’m writing a story, my characters are the engine that drives my creative process. Often I’m so engaged in telling the bones of the story, that I forget to fully flesh it out. Sometimes the scene is so vivid in my imagination, that I’m oblivious to the fact that I haven’t conveyed my vision fully. Rather than paint a picture, I’ve sketched an outline.

 Like learning any new skill, the art of painting a picture with words requires focus and practice. After penning the story skeleton to paper, I take Stephen King’s advice in On Writing to “delete needless words that don’t add to the story.”  The next big edit is to add words that paint pictures in the narrative and dialogue to flesh out the scene. You don’t want to bewilder your readers with too little description, but you also don’t want to overwhelm them with too much.

 Working with all the tools in my writer’s toolbox consistently and repeatedly has made a huge difference in the quality of my writing. Using the Paint a Picture tool, I visualize the scene I wish to portray and imagine the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures.

 Consider, dear reader, the following two passages. The first is from my first novel, The Healing. The second is from my fifth novel currently in progress, as yet without a working title.

Cate’s apple-red Mazda is packed to the ceiling with suitcases, Rubbermaid containers, and boxes, bulging with the entire contents of her life. In the spirit of her new-found freedom, she’s committed to downsize and de-clutter. Dana’s artwork is stacked and wrapped in Cate’s favourite African, hand-woven, wool blanket. Candles, sage, framed meditations—the artifacts that create sacred space—are stored carefully in a wooden trunk that was carved and hand-painted in Thailand. Fredrick’s kennel, which becomes a clothes-drying rack, rattles on top. It’s close to ten o’clock in the morning when Cate is finally ready to hit the road.

Jacob couldn’t resist peering on tiptoes into the casket, barely able to see over the side even so. He was too young to have any preconceived notions of death, and to him, his mother appeared as he imagined an angel would look, her face pure white and an expression of peace he’d never witnessed before. He found himself mesmerized and longed to ask his father to lift him up and inside so he could cuddle up next to her. Yet somehow, he knew, even at two, that he could never do such a thing. When he thought no one was looking, he reached his tiny hand inside the crème cotton folds of the casket lining and stroked his mother’s cheek. He was surprised how cool it was, like the feel of the floor of their cabin on his bare feet. A whiff of pickles and mothballs assaulted his tender young nostrils, and he withdrew his hand quickly, then thrust it deep into the pocket of his worn hand-me-down trousers.

 In the first example, I rely completely on visual descriptions to paint the scene. The colour of Cate’s car and the bulging contents, stacked and wrapped. In the second passage, visual descriptions are still the primary paint colour, but I’ve added the sense of touch with the coolness of Jacob’s mother’s cheek and the chemical scents of embalming fluids.

 I’m quite confident you’ll agree, the kaleidoscope of varied and colourful descriptions creates a more vivid picture in your mind as the reader. Whether you’re an aspiring or well-seasoned writer, I hope you found this blog useful. Stay tuned next month when I’ll be discussing another valuable tool—writing that evokes emotion.

COMING UP…

Books & Projects:

·      All four of my books are available online at Amazon, Chapters-Indigo, and Barnes & Noble. You can also find them at select Chapters-Indigo and El Hombre de la Mancha bookstores.

·      I am pursuing representation from a traditional publisher for my fifth literary fiction, a psychological drama that explores the complexities of mental illness and trauma. Stay in touch by signing up for my blog or following me on social media to find out when it will be published.

Reviews & Interviews:

·      You can read, listen, or watch a large selection of reviews and interviews on my website.

Events:

·      There are no events currently scheduled in my calendar.

YouTube Channel:

·      Watch The Rogue Scorpion trailer.

·      Watch The Holding trailer.

·      Watch The Healing trailer.