Two For Tuesday: Colorful Writing

Two For Tuesday is a weekly meme I made up when I couldn't think of anything to blog about. Post two of anything: book reviews, pictures, quotes, poems, songs, videos, rants, shout outs, whatever floats your boat. Just connect them somehow. That's it. Leave me a comment if you want to share!

I spend a lot of time using Photoshop for work (and for other less, um, productive means online). Often, that means I'm removing an object from a picture, changing the background, or fixing a person's minor flaw-- which is not all that different from revising a scene in a book. When you're zoomed in 1000x on an image, you really notice the little details, and we all know details can make or break the authenticity of a scene.

Color spotting, in particular, can be a great writing exercise. I've blogged before about "Find the Yellow" for inspiration inspiration (and it led to some of that, um, less productive Photoshopping). But you can use mental color spotting to improve scenes you've already written.

First, picture a scene from your WIP. I'll pretend we're writing a YA party scene. (These pictures actually remind me of the opening scene from Emilia Plater's appropriately-titled Autochromatic.)

 

Now imagine it in black and white. Changes the mood a little, right?

 

Now, think about what you're trying to accomplish, both in the scene and thematically overall. For example, in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, red has particular significance. Atwood works it into scenes in obvious ways, like the handmaids' red habits and the "Red Center" training site. But she also uses smaller items like flowers, lipstick, an umbrella, and bricks to extend the motif.

Maybe you don't want to attempt Atwood-level metaphor, but you can still use small details to create mood or draw attention. For example, what if we just pull out the blue details?


To me, these scenes have become cool, relaxed, maybe a little chilly. My gaze is drawn to the girl in the skirt and her bright headband. It could be dusk, but it could be a rainy afternoon. Something weird and sci fi could be happening in the sky.

However, if we pull the red:


The scene seems edgier-- less a get together and more a legit party. I suddenly notice the girl sitting down, and wonder why the DJ is wearing a pinkish hat. The standing guy seems more sporty, now that the focus is on his jacket instead of his jeans. Or maybe the red is a WARNING, like a STOP SIGN. DON'T DATE GUYS WHO WEAR DOUCHEY JACKETS.

ahem. I won't even comment on the girl doing the NKOTB dance.

Those are just the details we're given in the pictures. Now take it a step further: What can you add or subtract from your own scenes? What items have particular significance in your story that could be amplified by a color change? Once you start looking for it, you'll see it everywhere.

photo credit: Getty Images