Word Pictures

[Vivian Marshall]

Growing up the oldest of six children, who were raised on a small farm in East Tennessee, every free moment I had (which wasn't many),  I read everything I could get my hands on.  When I discovered books like Little House on the Prairie and Heidi, I was in heaven.  I didn't realize it at the time but what I liked most about these books was the fact they could bring the character to life in such a way that the characters and their surroundings became real people and places.    Not every author can do this--there are authors that go into too much detail and bore the heck out of readers such as me.  There has to be a just the right amount of detail to create great word pictures which captures readers attention and stirs their imagination.  In fact, these particular books were so great that when it became a series on television, I was not in the least bit interested because the book was so much better.

I have a vision of becoming such a writer.  My vision is to write a book on life during the 1920 to 1950 timeframe in Cades Cove, a secluded community, which is now part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  I plan to write a series of short stories and then combine them into a novel.  When I wrote the first short story, I thought I was writing for a young boy of about ten years old.  However, when I started creating word pictures to set the context for the story, I realized I was really writing for a more adult audience.  So word pictures are important for me both as a reader and  as a writer.  This thought process has given me a new perspective; my blank paper is like a canvas with nothing on it.  As I add the words, I am painting the picture just as surely as the artist is painting the picture with paint.
For me, this is the power of word pictures.

[Debra Farrimond]

Viv...this is amazing. I truly believe that if you write stories like you wrote this post—you will have an amazing career. I already want to know more about this young boy!!
Oh, and I agree with you 110%. It can never be called a great book until I feel like I'm a fly on the wall—literally drawn into the story as if I was one of the characters. When I feel truly sad that I can't spend anymore time with the characters...then that's a great story!!!

Debra

[FWPMikeyDee]

You all are awesome. That is all.