Writing and Photography

A good photograph is like a good scene. Both tell a story. Both the writer and the photographer must decide where to focus, on the appropriate depth of field, when to zoom in, when to include the big picture. Both consider motion and stillness, light and dark. The other day I noticed photos on the school website that happen to feature my sons. The concepts that make these photos compelling also apply to revising.

Shun the mundane. Sousaphones are weird instruments with their curving shapes and unwieldy size. The photographer focused on the unusual, so Jeremy and his Sousaphone are in the picture. When revising, I look for the point of interest in the scene and decide if it is interesting to the intended audience.

Focus on Tension. The photographer aimed down the line of scrimmage a moment before the football was hiked, two moments before impact. The D-line is tensed, muscles bulging, waiting to slam into their opponents. Tension crackles from this photograph, and Sam, the (former) nose-tackle, is in the picture. When revising, I delete or rewrite scenes that have no tension.