Social Novel Writing: images

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Cy's mechanical eye

Side question: I named Cypher after Terry Goodkind's Richard Cypher, but I just now realized that Cy also could be short for Cyborg. (Sometimes I'm a little slow.) Darn it. So do we keep the name Cy or rename him? If so, what should his new name be?

Meanwhile...
The next scene in our novel finally describes Cy's mechanical eye, as he sees his reflection for the first time since the attack. This has to be good, something unique and memorable. How are you picturing his new eye? Do you have any ideas? Thus far, the only description in our story is that the part of the eye through which Cy sees is red and that he does not have an eyelid with which to cover the eye. (It may actually have a cover should we choose to give him one, but it will have to be manually operated.)

While looking for imagery to spur my creativity, I found an awesome drawing that's reminiscent of the character development that I have planned for Cy. (Why yes, I do want him to become a badass. A nice badass, but a badass nonetheless.)

"Torbor", http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/barton-town/blood-promises/t.68591571_46/

While we're at it, here's another image that I'm using as a focus for Cy and Moxie, as they would be probably about half to 2/3 of the way through the novel, once they become allies/lovers again.

"Gravity of Love" from Magna Carta

I want Cy to retain some of the ethereal beauty of the fey, regardless of how mechanical he becomes because: 1) I think it's a nice juxtaposition to his increasingly mechanical body and also to the grittiness that his character will develop as he loses his more youthful innocence, and 2) to appeal to female readers. (You gotta have a handsome hero; it's just more fun that way.)

Some of the images that I've collected for inspiration for his mechanical eye follow.

"Cyborg and Human Relations," http://wallpaper-s.org/20__Cyborg_and_Human_Relations.htm

"Cyborg Eye," origin unknown

"Cyborg Soldier," origin unknown

http://fileitt.site11.com/images/uploadinta.php?page=5


"Cyborg Eye" by Marianne Little, http://www.flickr.com/photos/27764102@N02/5540391463/

Please share your ideas and opinions! Should we keep the name Cy? How should his mechanical eye look?

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Steampunk Imagery

Steampunk Watchman, steampunk-pics.com

Every writer should have an image library

Looking at art and photography spurs my imagination when I write. The details of other artists' creations spark my creative side, giving me ideas for my own writing: unique touches, emotions, scenes, and plot twists. I develop those sparks into full-fledged concepts and weave them into my stories, making them uniquely my own.

I think every writer should make a habit of collecting images that speak to them. I have an entire library of images that I've collected over the years, including photographs and drawings of people, places, and things. When I'm developing characters, designing settings, or am just plain stuck, I'll flip through my collection. It never fails to inspire me.

For characters, I make a file with the photos and drawings that remind me of the character in some way. Comparing my mental image to real images clarifies my mental picture and nails down the details of the character's appearance and personality. When I sit down to write, I display the pictures that are closest to my mental images on my screen. (My screen is usually half images and I put the MS Word window on the right side.) The images ground me, improve my descriptions, and help me make better and more consistent decisions about what my characters say and do and how they react to events.

The same goes for setting. Looking at setting images while I write helps me pretend that I'm actually there in the scene with the characters. The visual images help me imagine the sights, sounds, tastes, textures, details, and spacial relations as I write. Also, I can't tell you how many maps I've drawn of rooms, ruins, and cities. Even if I don't describe a characters' surrounding in depth, I, as the writer, need to know where everything is spacially so that my descriptions make sense to the reader.

These are a some of the images I've collected as inspiration for our setting. I've also posted more steampunk images on our Social Novel Writing Facebook page.