Episode 4 Photography – Ransom Riggs, Iconic Photos, Imagery and more *podcast transcript*

Podcast Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4UligPAyABOfrptWNCuUjj?si=y-xwZpQFRtGBxpZPQkf6qA&utm_source=copy-link

Hello! I’m Jenna Michal! Welcome to Breaking Writer’s Block! Here you’ll get your weekly dose of writerly inspiration all in under ten minutes. Why? Because sometimes all you need is one spark to get you writing.

Each episode I will start off with a writing tip based on knowledge from professional writers. I will give 3 writing prompts to use as you wish. And lastly, I’ll end each episode with a book rec!

I hope you enjoy!

- Writing Tip -

For this week's tip we’re going to follow the lead of current best selling author Ransom Riggs. He wrote the Peculiar Children Series. If you haven’t heard of the books, you might have seen the movie Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. It’s about an orphanage of children with peculiar abilities who are held in a time loop where the same day repeats itself again and again. This keeps them safe from those who are hunting them. Anyway, this is your book rec, but earlier in the episode because I needed to explain Ransom Riggs writing to explain how he can make us all better writers.

My tip for you this week is to be inspired in your writing by other art forms, for this episode, specifically photography. Ransom Riggs uses photography in his writing, and it is what makes his style so unique. Ransom Riggs collects old photographs from antique stores and flea markets and uses them to inspire his writing.

- Topic -

This episodes topic is about photography. Photography is another one of my passions, but you don’t have to worry if you have never tried it before. There is no need to understand the mechanics behind how a photo came to be, all you need to do is try and understand the story behind the photo.

- Prompt #1 -

My first prompt is to write the story behind a classic photo. This could suit both fiction and nonfiction writers. If you write fiction, let the photo inspire you to write the tale behind the photo. If you would rather write nonfiction, do research behind the photo and write the biography behind it or write an essay inspired by the photos conflict. Any photo works you can look up famous or iconic photos or you could look up a specific style of photography such as macro photos: photos that show close up details of small objects. Or long exposure photos: photos taken with a slow shutter speed so that all movement and light is recorded creating a eerie effect. Or portrait photos if you want to tell that person’s story.

If you can’t find a photo, here are a few that could spur an amazing story:

V-J Kiss in Times Square, New York, 1945 © Alfred Eisenstaedt

René Burri – Men on a Rooftop, Sao Paolo, 1960

“4 Children for Sale. Inquire within”, Chicago, 1948.

- Prompt #2 -

The second prompt is great for you if you love photography yourself or want to try it out. The prompt is to take a photo and write its story. You can put them together and someday submit them to a competition since both arts forms were created by you.

- Prompt #3 -

The last prompt I have for you today is to write a main character who has a fondness for photography. If you don’t know much about photography this will challenge you to understand the art form more. Also, it will strengthen your imagery as you’ll most likely have to describe in detail the photos your character takes. If you want to go above and beyond with this prompt, you can take a few photos that you think your character would take and put them within your prose.

- Challenge -

My challenge for you this week is to think about photography vs writing. How do they differ and how do they both portray stories and emotion? What is it that will make our writing impactful?

- Outro -

Thanks so much for listening! It’s a pleasure to talk about storytelling with you guys. Please share your writing in the comments section of this podcasts transcript on my blog. The link is in the description. I also have an Bookstagram page dedicated to what I’m reading if you’d like more recs: @acollectionofpages_.

Join us next week as we talk collaborative writing.

Adios escritores! See ya next week.