Pictures Tell A Story

The picture above is of my three youngest grandchildren, taken Christmas Day. Each of them is trying out a Christmas gift. The two kid guitars are pretty self-explanatory, but Gracen's microphone needs a few words of explanation. It's called Rock and Style, and since it was on her Wish List, I started searching for it. Nowhere to be found until I turned to Amazon.com. Success! It's a hairbrush that is a microphone that also records what you sing to it. Who thinks these things up? These three kids had a good time entertaining the rest of us. The picture doesn't reveal the fact that the guitars were both belting out different songs and Gracen singing yet a third. 

Have you ever tried writing a story from a picture prompt? My critique group has done them in the past and they were great fun. The best part was seeing the many different interpretations of one picture. Needless to say, we each get something different from a picture. The best way to write a story using a picture prompt is to  spend a little time studying it. A first glance gives you the overall picture, but once you take some time, the details begin to emerge. Perhaps the light shows you what part of the day it is, or a facial expression on a figure lets you know if it is a sad or joyous time for that person. You might depict the season if it's an outdoor picture.

Even my family photo above can be used to write a story. Maybe these three kids are going to be the first contestants on a brand new American Idol for Kids show. Or maybe the three kids have to go on stage to earn money to help their family. It can go any number of directions.

Find a picture in your house or one in a magazine, even one in a museum. Study it and create a story that comes from what you've observed in the picture. 

We had a really fine family Christmas. Being a guest instead of hostess left me stress-free. Try it, you'll like it!