Letting the Right Brain Speak

Yesterday, I indulged in two of my favorite activities: I spent time with a few writer friends and, simultaneously, created a collage for my new novel. It’s the perfect combination. The friends keep my analytical left brain occupied with conversation, while my right brain can select images, words, faces that speak to me about the story.

The result is shown above.

Did it reveal anything to me? Oh, yes. Not in concrete words, but in my character’s emotions and voice, which have been the most difficult for me to capture. Since I think character emotions and voice are the most critical part of any story, that was kind of a problem!

Now I’m off to see if I can translate the gut-level inspiration provided by the collage onto the page….