40s Suit Hits the Road

The Traveling

The pictures tell a story. My husband and I weren't trying to tell a story during this particular photo session, which was all about the suit, but it happened and reminded me of how many of my stories form.

Pictures 1 and 2--Once upon a time people could wait for buses in the middle of nowhere instead of actually traveling to the bus stop. I can imagine a woman heading off to the city from her ranch. Why? Perhaps she needs to find work. Perhaps she has offical business to attend to or she's going to stay with a relative. My woman would probably be going to Reno. The highway I'm on is a very old highway, so there may well have been people waiting for a bus on it in the 1940s.

Picture 3--For some reason my woman has abandoned the highway. If I were writing this story, I'd probably start at this scene and try to figure out what happened on the highway. The highway incident (whatever that had been) would be fed in as the scene progressed.

Picture 4--The sun is going down and it's time to make a decision. This would be a turning point that would propel the rest of the story. The call to adventure, if you will.

That's how my writing process works. I see a scene. I wonder how my character got into the place he or she is in, then I throw in a disaster and the real story begins.