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Whenever I sit down to my computer, I look for inspiration that will help me put words on the page. My first thought is to draw from my own experiences, and that works extremely well, but the thing that sparkles colorful images, exciting scenarios, and vivid settings are the photographs from the pages of history. I love glancing through history books to see the faces of those who came before us and brazed the sizzling trail that allowed us to live as we do today. Those beautiful black, brown, beige, and white faces (some of us have white faces) in our history books express the dramatic enfolding of our lives here in the Americas. That history was littered with abuse, discrimination, hatred, and systematic political oppression... and yet we survived and rose so high that we were able to elect an African-American President... Amazing!
Observing and examining pictures of our historical trek to present day is one way to generate energy and enthusiasm for writing our stories to explore the "what if's" of a particular situation. Some of the photographs are faded and worn, but for me... It only lends to the drama that affected so many lives for so many difficult and troubling years. Noting the dress, hairstyles, and the backgrounds of a photograph make the writer's mind wander, giving one a reason to write. It's a gold mine of opportunity, and I encourage you all to flip through the pages of history and seek a silent, profound, and rewarding experience that you will get from our photographic history. Whatever you do, don't forget to include your own personal family history. Old photographs are the ultimate treasure chest for writers who take on the responsibility of telling our stories, fiction and non-fiction, about our experiences, our dreams, and our visions from our point of view.
The next step is to create.
Wednesday, March 30th 2011 at 4:02PM
H. Victoria Hargro Atkerson, Author
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