A Writer’s Life: Visual Writing

Every writer has their favorite style of writing, or several, as is the case with me.

My oldest favorite, with me now for just over 10 years, is something I call “visual writing”.  It lends itself particularly to poetry, for me, but I can see where it would have benefits for editing non-poetry.

The blank page, for me, is only scary when I am trying to force something out.  That being a habit I try to avoid, in most instances I see the blank page as a beautiful, glorious treasure.

I love black ultra-fine-point Sharpie markers, perhaps because they are the exact opposite.  They stand out so vividly, so strong on those plain, white pages.

Sometimes, though, this look is a little severe, a little lacking in color.  For that, I have crayola mini-colored pencils. 

Since I am not much of an artist, in terms of drawing, these pages do not become elaborate.  Instead I react to the piece in color.  Some phrases may inspire little doodles, others may just need an outline, or a box of color.

This is a very simple exercise.  It just helps me tune in to what I’m feeling about the piece.  I find it adds something to poems, and that it helps me find problems in the flow of pieces that I am editing.  Also, I just enjoy doing it, and enjoy the outcome.  That alone is all the reason I would need.

Until next time, Happy Writing!