\"Writing.Com
*Magnify*
SPONSORED LINKS
Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/10707-Visual-Storytelling.html
Action/Adventure: April 28, 2021 Issue [#10707]




 This week: Visual Storytelling
  Edited by: NaNoNette Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Tension, emotions, character development all benefit from visual storytelling. Let us create unforgettable characters, breathtaking images, and edge of the seat tension.



Word from our sponsor



Letter from the editor

Visual Storytelling


Characters and stories come to life through images.

Figurative language has been used by writers for hundreds of years. Show the world that is lived in by your characters in ways that make it relatable. This will create empathy in your reader.

Use words to create a canvas.

Just how you might feel like touching a painting to see if it is real, get your readers to believe that your story could be real. Let your reader see and feel the story through taste, touch, smells and sounds. Clothes, for instance, have a texture, but they also have a sound. Sometimes, fabric has a scent. Use those details to get your reader close to the characters of your story.

Wide angle and close up.

Just how a skilled cinematographer will use both wide angle shots to give an overview and then go up close, you should write in a way that the reader sees the situation as a whole, and then the details that matter the most.

Use recall.

Once you have established certain areas, certain characters, and even certain behaviors, repeat earlier words - but not all - to recreate the feeling of a place for the reader. Make him feel comfortable in your world by reinforcing the idea that while there is all of that action going on, he is in a safe place that he can rely on also.

Create tension with unexpected revelations.

Writing in third person point of view is beautiful because it allows the writer to enter every single angle of the story. If someone walks along a path toward someone, have that someone turn out to be a dog welcoming the hero home. Or, if you want to play with inanimate objects, a car that is happy to have its best driver back.

Enter a specific point of view.

Not which point of view you write from (third person, first person). The point of view from which the narrator looks out into the world. Have the reader experience everything from the main character's angle for a scene or two.

Action & adventure writers, as you shake up your characters and have them jump over obstacles and get through their journey, ask yourself at each step whether a reader can really see it.

Reviewers, let a writer know when you can't see. Let a writer know when you could see everything. Let a writer know when it's too much or could use a touch more.


Editor's Picks

 The Passport Open in new Window. (E)
What would you do if you lost the one thing you needed to get home?
#2247862 by AliceLvs2Write Author IconMail Icon

 
STATIC
Survival of the Sapiens Open in new Window. (E)
They have to save the Homosapiens, no other way...
#2247520 by Rhymer Reisen Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2247333 by Not Available.

 
STATIC
SNAKE! Open in new Window. (ASR)
The boy who cried SNAKE!
#2246906 by Sparky Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2246593 by Not Available.

 
STATIC
Luna Open in new Window. (E)
Daily Flash Fiction 2/27/21 W/C 296
#2245455 by QueenNormaJean maybesnow?! Author IconMail Icon

 The Remedy of Space Open in new Window. (18+)
An exterior maintenance procedure on a space station goes wrong. 760 Words
#2245451 by BariRandom Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2245277 by Not Available.

Daily Flash Fiction Challenge Open in new Window. (13+)
Enter your story of 300 words or less.
#896794 by Arakun the twisted raccoon Author IconMail Icon

FORUM
The Writer's Cramp Open in new Window. (13+)
Write the best poem or story in 24 hours or less and win 10K GPS!
#333655 by Sophurky Author IconMail Icon

 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!



Ask & Answer

Replies to my last Action/Adventure newsletter "The Hero's JourneyOpen in new Window.. Do you believe in the monomyth?

Monty Author Icon wrote: Some quick ideas on action individuals.

Elfin Dragon-finally published Author Icon wrote: There are several cases to believe in the monomyth. Dragons - all cultures have at least one version of one and the story of Noah and the flood is also multicultural.

ForeverDreamer Author Icon wrote: Campbell's work is very interesting. I don't know if I believe in the monomyth. I do know that certain motifs occur over and over in myrs and folktales from all over the world, and from very different cultures.

Jon Little (they/them) Author Icon wrote: Even if there isn't, it is a great structure for storytelling.

TheBusmanPoet Author Icon wrote: No. Anything that's defined as a myth in your mind or not is still a myth=Not real in my opinion. I deal with reality in this realm of consciousness.

Bilal Latif Author Icon wrote: Well, the monomyth was Joseph Campbell's identification of shared archetypical elements amongst narratives across disparate human cultures, indicative of a collective unconscious.
In other words, the monomyth or hero's journey is not intended as a writing structure or template. Rather, it simply identifies why certain narratives tend to recur and resonate in psychologic terms, usually because the characters in those narratives pass through stages reflecting our own psychological maturation.
I wouldn't say I 'believe' or 'disbelieve' in the monomyth, however I do tend to agree with Campbell's observations on the psychological underpinnings of many of these cross-cultural narrative similarities.

Scifiwizard Retired Author Icon wrote: Actually, there are three stages to a monomyth. Departure, initiation, and return. Through this, a writer can fill in the gaps with what surrounds each stage. The objective that leads the hero to depart, what the hero does to reach said objective and what the hero does upon finishing.

s Author Icon wrote: Required reading this semester at university, Campbell's The Hero With A Thousand Faces.
Have to admit, it makes for satisfying story-telling. But subverting it is also acknowledging it exists. A good starting point nowadays, I believe.

woolwaulker wrote: Hell yes!

jolanh Author Icon wrote: Yup

Zen Author Icon wrote: The Hero's Journey isn't a structure, it's a framework that hangs on the 4-part story structure. It's purpose is to keep the story moving, provide key moments in the hero's character arc *and* the 4-part structure, and to show the reader that the story is progressing.

It can be leveraged to work with other structures (including the spiral structure), and this shows its independence from the story structure. I've created a graphic that shows how THJ relates to the 4-part structure and the character arc here (click on it, and then click it again to get it full size): https://philip-p-ide.uk/doku.php/blog/articles_on_writing/story_structure

That is some resource for storytelling you created there! *Shock2*

*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor
ASIN: B083RZ2C5F
Product Type:
Amazon's Price: Price N/A
Not currently available.

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/10707-Visual-Storytelling.html