While I’ve been working on one of my manuscripts, I’ve been pondering the house where the hero lives. I have a mental image of the house, but haven’t yet found an actual picture close to what’s in my head. That’s okay. I really only need to be able to describe it, and with what’s in my head, I can do that. But sometimes, it’s nice to have a physical picture as well.
(Photo credit: Indiewench / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND )
The cabin above is very like where Andi, heroine in Hunting Medusa, lives on her wooded mountain. I don’t need to see the entire structure, because in my head, I have the whole thing very clearly. I know exactly what the cottage where my second Medusa lives looks like, as well as her mother’s house down the road.
I’ve sometimes gone so far as to draw a rough diagram of the house in a story I’m writing, just to keep things clear for myself.
How visual are you when you’re writing, or reading? Do you need a real picture, or do you rely on your mental images only? Do you prefer to only use your imagination?