Monday, 19 March 2018

Story Telling in 3D


By Debbie Roome

 Those who know me well will be familiar with my love of travel. This dates back a few decades but recently has become a way of life. I’ll never forget the day that travelling changed from a postcard view to something more tangible. And no, it wasn’t the day I first climbed into an aeroplane or travelled to a foreign land. I had seen many glossy brochures of London and Europe and could recognise Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it was a flat and one- dimensional view.



 My perspective changed the day I went to a travel presentation that incorporated a movie on a large screen. It was many years ago so wasn’t in 3D but it was filmed by someone walking through these famous landmarks, climbing spiral stair cases, walking around the back of the buildings and across bridges. It brought travel to life for me, offering depth and an understanding of where these structures were situated, and their size and grandeur. With today’s genuine 3D movies, this effect is even greater and the goggles that give us a full 360 degree view of a movie are amazing!


I was thinking about this recently and realised the 3D principle can also be applied to writing. Do we give our readers a flat, one dimensional view of our characters and settings or do we take them on a breath-taking tour through their lives? Are our settings conveyed in boring prose or do a few skilfully crafted words give them depth and colour.


Our first drafts maybe rather flat and bland but as we rework them, edit them and polish them, let’s make every effort to introduce the 3D effect. May our stories be rounded, have twists and turns, and burst with texture, perspective and life. Our readers may never travel physically to the locations in our books. They may never shake hands with our characters or cry with them, but through our writing skills, they can become immersed in their world.

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These thoughts were bought to you by Debbie Roome at 10:10
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9 comments:

  1. Anusha Atukorala19 March 2018 at 13:54

    That's a lovely way to express it Debbie. A 3D view is always so much more real so may we incorporate that picture into our writing. Reminded me of what I read in a book about heaven which talked about life on earth being like being in a flat 2D picture - and in contrast our life in heaven being a 3D one! Big difference. May we create scenes and characters that bring the world to life in readers minds. Thanks Debbie and every blessing in your traveling and writing life.

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  2. Susan Preston19 March 2018 at 14:07

    Your post reminded me of the excitement my late husband felt when he first flew into London. He was born in Australia, and had never left Australia until that holiday. He had seen pictures, etc - but as you say, they are flat. He was awed to see the 'real' thing.
    You are correct, this is what we should aim for in our writing. The real thing - as much as possible. LOL
    Thanks for bringing back a wonderful memory as well as a reminder to consider my writing.

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  3. Jeanette O'Hagan19 March 2018 at 14:48

    Thanks for your post, Debbie. So true, there is such a difference between seeing a postcard of -say - the Parthenon in Athens and standing on the worn marble outcrop under the hot sun seeing the column reach to the lapis lazuli blue of the sky.

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  4. Lynne Stringer20 March 2018 at 08:26

    Yes, thank goodness that we can rework first drafts. :-)

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  5. Debbie Roome31 March 2018 at 16:40

    Thanks!

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