Photographing Nell: How it came about

This is a copy of a post I made about my story, Photographing Nell.

I thought I'd talk a little about 'how it came about”.

I've been using the method Ray Bradbury ( Zen in the art of Writing ) talks about : word association. The way I do it is make a list of phrases/nouns that link to some memory I have that stands out in the moment of writing / adding to the list. These memories could be big or small. I don't write a long phrase about the memory, just a couple of words or so. This helps me be more 'creative' when I come to actually writing. When it's time to start a new story, I look at my list ( or think about it) and simply choose what seems to stand out more. Sometimes I just choose anything.

On my list is “The Photographer”. It links to a situation that I was in when I went to University in Bristol. I answered an ad that a photographer placed, looking for 'models' . Nude or otherwise was not stated, but I knew the possibilities. I had aspirations to be an actress and also was (am?) quite vain so thought having some portrait shots of me would be fun.. or something. I was young, unhappy. I had one 'session', I was not cut out for the nude thing, it felt too weird, but I came away with one or two nice portrait shots (clothed).

The photographer was kind of like Harry, and he had a wife, kind of like Felicity. I was surprised the wife was so much in evidence, given what her husband was doing. She fascinated me ( when I looked at my list and saw 'The Photographer', I thought of her, not him).

When I started the story, I had in my mind's eye where I was 'going' - i.e. an event. The event was simple, it was a girl (i.e. me) coming into the flat, and meeting “the photographer' and his motherly wife. That was it. I had no idea what this scene was going to look like when I got there, and it surprised me too, but I knew where I was going. I did not plan the first line, it was only after writing it that I knew  I was going to find out about 'Felicity'.

I have found it really helpful to have an 'event' - no matter how small or insignificant, to head towards, not knowing how I will get there, but seeing it as if a movie still. It is the same for nearly all the other stories I've written. Sometimes the final scene comes to me after the first few pages, but lately I've known it before hand.