Thinking outside the box and visual writing

At cafe Eighteen 71, Winchester -
hard at it blogging!

While I was away did I write anything? No! I did some reading but no writing. That is not to say that I wasn't thinking!

The novel I am writing at present was on my mind. I had left my character somewhere and I was mulling over what he would do next. I do a lot of mulling, working out scenes in my head before I write them. Even the dialogue is in my head. Do I lose something in looking at things this way? Sometimes, yes, and sometimes when I come to write them they don't quite work, or my character wants to go another way. New things may occur to me and I generally go with it.

I've had a scene going around in my head for days. It sounded great in my head but when I typed it up yesterday it lost something - the atmosphere. In my head I was there and could feel it, but on paper it was too bland, just words. When I come to edit I will see if I can use this small piece, improve it to make it work. Otherwise I shall leave it as it was and not include the new scene.

I am a very visual writer. I play out things in my head like a film. I am there - I see the location and I am all my characters! I set my scenes in places I know, have been to, or at least know of (so far). I research things I'm not sure of. I love to build up a picture of locations so I can visualise my characters there seeing what I have seen or researched enough to feel I've been there.

The thing about writing what you know is true to a certain extent but in the last year I have begun to think outside the box and nothing is a no-no anymore.

My husband was filling in some survey on Ancestry yesterday and one of the questions asked if an exhibition on gay, lesbian, transgender etc would be of interest. I said 'as a writer anything that I can use in the future would be interesting!' I have an inquiring mind. I get excited by odd things and gather bits of information as I go along, like a hoover. Maybe I won't use it all, but then may I'll write something and think - ah I can use that now. I read avidly and that helps a lot.

So just because I am not writing does not mean that my brain is inactive. My brain does not know when to stop! And today I think I will find my character again and set him off into his next scene.