Sci Friday # 110: Visual Inspiration

Images that inspired me

“Focus”

What?

A lily in a garden in San Diego a couple decades ago. I don’t even remember where I took the photo, but it felt perfect to me.

Why?

The focus, the light, and the color stood out in the garden. I could force the focus through the camera by varying the F-stop, the focal length of the lens, etc., but I couldn’t alter the light or the color.

Well, I could play with the light if I wanted to put up an opaque tarp and find a light source to approximate the sun.

But that would take too much effort for a snapshot. And it might come out fake.

Writer friends, have y’all ever forced the characters and/or plot to bend in artificial ways to make them work for the story?

I have, and the story sucked because of it. I spent months working on a short story last year. Even after all the research needed for it. I forced the characters into a conflict that came out rushed and artificial.

“But they have to fight!” My inner writer being petulant, his lower lip sticking out.

“No, Matt. Not yet. Not here.” My inner critic being right this time. “Stop forcing it. Let it happen.”

In the second iteration, I did, and it worked a lot better.

Readers questions: Have y’all ever read a story where things seemed rushed? A romance? A conflict? An ending?

Hope all y’all had a great week. Enjoy the weekend. 👋