Using Photos for Inspirational Writing.

Like a lot of writers I spend a lot of time looking around for different elements to sustain my writing and keep it interesting. I use my notepads until they are worn through and my pencils are screaming to be replaced. In fact it was one of my pencils that suggested that I start taking photos of the different places and people that I came across so that the images would provoke, once I got back to my computer,the mood or the feelings that I had captured when I was taking the shot. It would also help my pencils to have a longer lifespan. The best way to explain this is to show you an example. I chose the rose in the following photo for various reasons. Firstly the extreme softness of the colours and the raindrops on the fragile petals.

What could such a photo inspire? 

  To start we could think about how delicate and fragile love can be! Then how about the raindrops and how easily they could be associated to tears that stream down our faces when we are sad. It could be the very beginning of a romantic tale. It could also be the start of an article about nature, gardening or just simply roses. I'm sure that there are many other ideas but I'll let you , the other writers, or readers decide which one would suit you best.

Just a Cloud :)

I thought I'd place another photo to go further into why photos can be a source of inspiration, and sometimes, when we least expect our muse to pop into our heads she comes in and gives us the green light. As per usual I'd taken my rather worn out Sony dslr and half broken Tamron 70-300mm programmed and ready for the day. I'm not sure if you remember, but my pencils were hollering to have a rest! We'd decided,my partner and myself to take trip into the country where a local farmer had started a few years back by opening a dried flower shop along with herbal remedies,exotic plants, donkey rides and a whole host of other things in order to earn a bit of extra cash. What we didn't expect to see was the amount of people who were swarming around the place. I'm not saying it was like Disneyworld but we were slightly taken aback by the crowds that had invaded this usually quiet and somewhat isolated spot. Parking the car was amusing to say the least,the tarmac had stopped a mile from the farm and our car had bumped and swayed along a tractor riven track that led to one of the fields before we could find a place to squeeze into.

Ever heard of a « tourist trap? » well guys this was one in all of its splendour. We were hoping to see something that was ecologically friendly and we'd driven straight into a regular barnum.
I absolutely hate being crowded in so I somehow managed to find a bit of personal space where I didn't have tourists or local people bumping into me. I watched as they all fought their way through to the different stands too keen to spend hard earned money on overpriced items. That's when I decided to do a bit of cloud gazing and this is what I saw above. I have to admit that it made me smile and brought my childhood, and my dreams, racing back. We've all done it as kids inventing things we see in cloud formations. The animals that we recognized or those we invented,faces, castles in the air etc.. It also brought this very simple thought to mind as I watched the myriad of potential consumers making a beeline for the products of the farm. You don't have to spend money in order to be happy or to bring a smile back to your face. The best things in life are free,so while others spent their time buying I enjoyed this fleeting moment that only nature knows how to provide!

This is in fact an article I wrote quite some time ago that I manage to spin without any external help. However should you have problems getting things out as quickly as this might I suggest this particular tool? I know that it has helped lots of other potential writers so why not you?
Have a nice day/afternoon/evening or whatever! and remember to keep on writing.