Is a Picture worth a Thousand Words?

Blink … Blink. Writers Block. Blink Blink, the flashing vertical line taunts like an elusive fly that won’t sit still long enough to swat it. That blasted blinking cursor … what an affliction. Evil, pure evil; an unforgiving virtual nemesis, trying and contemptuous with niggling.

Nar Nar na na Nar! It taunts me.  Just stop blinking at me you rotten sod! Or are you winking at me?  … Hmm.

What’s that all about? I never could figure you out. Sneaky silicon. You’re actually trying to make me think aren’t you?

Sound familiar? Just when you’re trying to make yourself do something; just when the pressure is on; just when you want the words to flow as smoothly as silk, that rotten cursor on the computer screen starts taunting and pressuring you to perform. Where are these words hiding you think to yourself? This, as if you hadn’t guessed, is Writers Block.

The problem here is that in the moment of need you’ve left yourself with nil, zero inspiration. It’s your own fault unfortunately. But there is an easy way around it.  Then answer is a picture.

Pictures overcome writers block, making your mind stay on topic by requiring it to answer a question in response to the picture shown to it.  So, is a picture worth a thousand words during writers block? …  Well, yes it is.

The solution to writers block is what will you find here:

• Find the Picture Before Writing Your Article
• Words Find You When You Look At A Picture
• The Disobedient Mind
• Images Stimulate The Mind

Pictures are what you require in your hour of need. A picture is worth a thousand words to your mind. Pictures are little metaphorical prompts for you mind to base ideas on. If you’re having trouble writing an article then one of the most effective writing aids is to find a picture to write about first.

The old saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words‘ is quite literally true; especially when you’re writing. Judging from personal experience, it is easier to write when thoughts are prompted with an image on which to build ideas.

Pictures also assist you to stay on topic by requiring the mind to answer a question in response; without straying on to ambiguous or irrelevant material. I say straying on to not in to because when you use a picture, the material is already known. You can see it, sense it and respond to it. The term in to implies an unknown quantity or quality. Many writers immerse themselves IN their work not being fully aware of what they are going to try to create. They just let the words flow as they write.

Find the Picture Before Writing Your Article

Finding pictures to match your article can be difficult. Even though you may write one of the best pieces of prose of your life, it can risk remaining a draft it you don’t find a suitable image to accompany it. Many of the best pieces of prose have just the right imagery to accompany the content. It may take much longer than the time spent originally writing it.

I’ve been doing a lot of writing lately, personal stuff, work, family; it all seems to add up. One of the trickiest things I have found when sitting down to start a piece prose is that of actually starting; getting the first idea to solidify in the mind then capturing it on the screen in front of you. Many writers are familiar with this and, if your not already aware, I have just described what is classically known as writers block.

Writers Block affects every single writer at some stage; whether they admit to it or not. It may happen a little, or a lot but as surely as you will finish a sentence with a full stop, writers will, most likely have trouble starting one. You can sit and ponder, waiting for the words to come, but like an every urgent phone call, they are sometimes elusive little suckers.

 

Words find you when you look at pictures

When writing an article, especially an on-line article that will have accompanying pictures, is easier to have the picture to work with first.

Take this picture found randomly from the net. What comes to mind? There are two ways of looking at it. Analytically and Emotionally. Usually, though not always, women and men will look at the picture and be prompted with different ideas depending on their background etc.

There are emotional and psychological differences between men and women just as much as physical. These differences will influence the way articles are written.

Men may begin an article analytically with: ‘Telegraph poles stretch forward escorting the driver down the highway.’ A female, without being too presumptuous about the topic matter, may begin such: ‘The conversation raced me to my destination; the words speeding along the telephone lines faster than I can drive.’

In the first example from a male perspective (without being too presumptuous) emotion is absent from the sentence; whilst in the second (female example) the inanimate objects of the telegraph poles are the carriers of hypothetical danger.

Now, whilst you may come up with differing examples should you pen a piece with the Telegraph poles, the examples serve the purpose.

In both instances; disregarding the upbringing that will have influenced what different sexes tend to focus on, the telegraph poles feature prominently. There are two lines of thought that have been initiated through a single picture; that of the telegraph poles running down the side of the road but the same picture has elicited two different responses and two different topics of prose. But for both a picture was worth a thousand words; or there abouts.  It isn’t difficult to build a story around either example just mentioned.

The Disobedient Mind

The mind is a rather disobedient thing. The Disobedient Mind will focus on whatever imagery it is given to work with so it is important to give it imagery that will contribute to your writing assignment.It will focus on what you would prefer it not to. And the more you try to control it the more obstreperous it becomes. It really is quite a tricky thing to manage if your not consumed with something you’d like to be thinking about.

The reason for this is due to the minds propensity to drift and or focus on specific topics. By having a picture to work with or focus on, topic matter relating to that picture will drift into the mind as a matter of course, by default in fact. Three, four or five seconds spent focusing on a picture of the topic matter is quite literally worth a thousand words of prose to your mind.

Images Stimulate the Mind

You can apply the same concept to computers, keyboards, exercise equipment, people, landscapes. Anything in fact. Once you have started stimulating the writing process with images related to your topic, it is just matter of extrapolating your ideas and story line out to follow the topic matter you are writing about. That’s why it’s important to have pictures to accompany your post or story first. Often it may be very difficult to find a picture that elicits the same thought response you have just written about.

The Clear Minded Creative talked about the issue of Writers Block; and the answer seems to be a pill. I would almost, quite certainly, maybe, if I had to, or maybe not, take that pill. The pill would be easier; but would it be as effective? [ ] Would you be actually writing or just regurgitating from some ethereal source. … If only we could find out.

Anyway, do your mind a favour, and give it something to focus on. A picture isn’t just worth a thousand words, it’s worth a page of prose from the keyboard, and that is, after all, what you’re trying to do.

Have fun, and keep writing.

Peter Hallam