Purple Prose:
Blog

©Stina Lindenblatt

Do you hear voices in your head when you write? I’m not talking about your characters (though mine definitely won’t shut up) or your internal editor.

I’m talking about your critique partner’s or beta reader’s voice.

It’s happening to me. Last week I was editing a chunk of my manuscript to send to my crit partner (okay, she thinks she’s a beta reader, but she’s more awesome than that). In my head, she was telling me that it was too convenient that this guy just happened to show up (convenient for me, not my main character). This stemmed from a comment she had made on a previous chunk on my WIP. Naturally, I listened to her voice and fixed the problem. And I’m glad I did. The story is much better now and the change increased the level of suspense.

So has this happened to you? Has you crit partner/beta reader told you something in your head while you’re editing, or does my crit partner has some paranormal abilities I don’t know about?

Note: The picture DOES NOT look like any of my fabulous crit partners or beta readers. It’s the look I get when I hear the voices. :)

Ideally, when we take a photo, we want the viewer’s eyes to go directly to the subject of the photo, so the individual isn’t left wondering what the heck the picture’s about.

In this photo, the focus (literally) was placed on the marble in the front by: throwing the other two out of focus; placing it to the side of the frame (also known as rule of thirds); and positioning it in front of the other two so that it appears larger. Of course, these are only three of many different techniques that you can use.

For those of you with point & shoot cameras (i.e. you don’t have manual focus), you’ll need to do the following if your subject is not in the center of the frame for the picture:

1. Aim your camera at the subject so it’s in the center of the frame.

2. Hold the button half way down. This will lock the focus so the camera doesn’t try to refocus on something else when you move it.

3. While holding the button half way down, reposition the camera so that the subject is in the desired location.

4. Push the button all the way to take the photo.

Pretty easy, huh? And yes, the same techniques can be used in portraits.

Hmmm. This has given me an idea for a future writerly post.

Weathered. New.
Rough. Smooth.
Dark. Light.

Juxtaposition is a popular technique in photography. It involves placing objects close together for a contrasting effect. It can also been used to emphasize the subject and theme of your photo, as I’ve done in this picture of my daughter (the flower from last week).

Next time you take a photo, see if there’s a way to benefit from at least one contrasting element in the scene. Maybe there’s one or a few. Maybe there’s none. But the exercise will help you develop your eye for what’s going on in the scene. And that will help you become a better photographer.

I’ve blogged before about how I get into character when working on a WIP. During WriteOnCon this summer, author Tera Lynn Childs showed us how to make a character collage. At first, I thought no way was I going to waste my time making one.

But as much as I didn’t want to admit it, my curiosity was piqued. And what can I say? It was summer vacation. I needed to do something with my kids to keep them out of trouble.

By the time I finished the project, I was hooked on the idea. Now when I work on my WIP, I lay out the collages for the major players in the scene. Between the words and the images, my characters come to life. It’s like they’re standing in my office (bedroom). Weird huh?

There is one drawback, though, as you’ll see.

This is my main character, Maddie White.

This is her BFF, Olivia Goddard.

And this is Daniel Ackerman (Okay, this isn’t the full collage. There’s secret info I didn’t want to reveal).

Now, can you see the problem? Every time I work on a scene with Daniel, the picture is, well, um, a little distracting.

Probably more so cuz this body looks a lot like my husband’s (minus a head). Le Sigh.

Have you tried making a character collage? Is it something you might consider? Remember, you don’t have to make one for every character. Just the key ones.

Ever since my kids went back to school last month, they have reminded me, frequently, that it’s almost Halloween. So I figured I’d give you some pointers for shooting pictures of your Jack ‘O Lanterns to get you into the spirit (if you aren’t already).

Dragging the shutter is a cool technique that professional photographers use when shooting pictures in a room. To keep the room from looking like a cave, a flash is used, but the warm ambient lighting in the room, such as from a lamp, remains. It’s also a great way to take photos of your pumpkin.

In the above photo, the speed was set at 15 seconds to capture the glowing flame. However, you see little else of the scene.

In the second picture, I used a flash, and the camera speed was set at 1/60 second (which means I didn’t have to use a tripod). You can see the scene, but the glow of the candle is lost.

In the final picture, the camera speed was set at 15 seconds (like in the first shot) and I used the flash (the camera adjusted the intensity). This time, you can see the setting and the pumpkin, but the glowing effect of the candle is still there. A much better picture than the other two.

Try it out for yourself, and experiment with all kinds of possibilities. The key is to set the speed according to the ambient light and let the flash add whatever else is needed. Obviously, this tip is for SLR cameras (you’ll know what it is if you have one) and point & shoot cameras that let you adjust the shutter speed.

<<<3

When you take portraits, or photos of kids, it’s always a great idea to take more than one shot.

With portraits, it usual takes a few pictures before your subject starts to relax, never mind the issue of blinking at the wrong moment. Professional photographers know this. And if you’re taking candid shots, you never know when the unexpected happens.

Of course with digital cameras, we have no excuse to not to keep shooting photos as long as the subjects are willing.

(I took these photos of my daughter when she was 11 months old. She's sitting on a pillow, in case you were wondering.)