What picture do your words paint?

“Writing is a series of choices.” It seems a little obvious does it not?  As sad as it may sound I had never really thought about it until it popped up while I was perusing the internet for advice. One simple imagery choice can alter how an audience views what we are trying to enact for them.  Our choices set the stage for the readers, brace them against their seats and can hurl them across the room at our keyboard stokes and pen smears.

              There is a great difference between repetition and redundancy.  Repeating images is an issue we all run into now and again. Even though we feel like we have found that one truly symbolic image that resonates, clinging onto it we can inadvertently kill the image. When writing and editing read over the lines with repeating images aloud a few times one after another. Does it sound like you have beaten the imagery in just for the sake of having it there? Or does each sentence create a new perspective on the image? Are you now simply skipping over the picture because it has bored you by the fourth or perhaps tenth time around?  

Clichéd images. We all dislike using them and reading them. So why are they so hard to avoid?  Is it that all the great symbols are taken or is it that we are too lazy to figure out new ones? Neither is true; every day we can paint something new with these recycled words and ideas.  Most of what we know now as clichés started off as stereotypes; however, somewhere along the lines of being used and re-used they misplaced their content and are now more often than not are simply skipped over.

Some tips for choosing literary pictures for your piece:

Does it feel clichéd? If so why does it feel that way? Is there a possible spin on the imagery?

Observe. Do not just say the birds soared for example, name the bird.  Was it a raven maybe it is a dove, truly think of that animal does it really soar or does it dart, maybe even dive?  What connotations do each of these birds bring with them? Is that the feeling you wanted?

Do not over paint, sometimes less is more.

Next time you are writing ask yourself this simple question: what am I painting?
              

Thanks to the University of North Carolina's Writing Center Hand Out on word choice for the opening inspiration. If you would like to take a gander at their helpful advice you can find the hand out here: Word Choice Hand Out