Tripping across scene and story ideas

I made an interesting discovery a few years ago – artistic people have the same urges, but they’re manifested in different art forms.

It seems writers are not the only ones who in the course of their lives trip across creative ideas. (Duh!)

I was driving with a photographer friend when we came upon a beautiful scene. As I often do, I quietly thought of how I would describe the scene with words. After a few minutes my friend said she couldn’t stop thinking of how she would capture the light in that lovely setting. I imagine if a musician were in the car, she’d comment of creating music that would depict the scene.

And of course, two writers who see the same scene will describe it in two unique ways. We all filter what we see through our personal experiences. Two writers who see a bee tripping from flower to flower on a beautiful sunny morning might paint the mood in entirely different ways. One would comment on the sweetness and beauty of the moment, but the other writer might be highly allergic to bees and could write the scene as a prologue to a horrific incident of extreme discomfort or fear.

Yesterday I was weeding in the front yard and thought of the beginning to a murder mystery/suspense novel. The foundation of our house is landscaped with river rock. While I was weeding I passed around the window well. My author’s mind kicked into gear, and I imagined the beginning of the book – a lady was weeding the foundation of her house, and sunlight reflected off something in her window well. When she leaned over to see what it was, she saw . . .

A dead body!

Just a few thoughts. Have a pleasant day, everyone. BTW, the photo above was taken last year in Colorado Springs when I attended the Glen Eyrie Writers' Workshop. Isn't it lovely?