For one of my workshops I’m
coming up with some approaches that I think can add rocket fuel to your
creativity, and I will be sharing them here as well. This one is about seeing
things in a fresh way.
When taking a picture, a
photographer has to consider which lens to use: wide-angle to get the maximum
space or telephoto or macro for a close view, or something in between. Each of these will yield a different
image and therefore a different feeling.
You can use this lens
metaphor to refresh your writing. Let’s look at an example from a story in which a young female fan of Elvis
Presley is waiting outside a concert hall hoping to catch a glimpse of him
when he arrives. In writing this scene you have a choice of lenses.
The WIDE ANGLE lens conveys
the feeling of the entire setting—the crowd, the streets, the outside of the
hall, the weather, the temperature, etc.
The MEDIUM ANGLE LENS
captures whatever is in her vicinity—the other fans behind her pressing against
her, the lamp directly above her, etc.
The TELEPHOTO lens achieves
the feeling of being close yet from a distance. In this scene, when the limo
carrying Elvis arrives, the girl desperately tries to see him through the
darkened windows. For a moment that’s all that fills her field of vision but
her sense of distance remains.
The MACRO lens gets very
close. In this scene the girl might suddenly notice that the nail polish she
lovingly applied before coming out is already chipping off. She has a moment of
panic: she wanted to look her best for her idol.
(for more tips on writing well, get my book, “Your
Writing Coach,” published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other
online and offline retailers.)
