In the realm of creative writing, “imagery” refers to the use of sensory descriptions to convey an impression of something that is beyond words. With imagery, you are trying to convey a sense of what it is like to experience something rather than just describe it. The following will discuss the various forms of imagery used in creative writing, including its definitions and associated challenges.
Imagery In General
The roots of imagery can be traced back to the very beginnings of literature. From the very outset, authors have used sensory descriptions to evoke images in their reading audience. This is most evident in poetry, where traditional forms such as the sonnet and the villanelle have traditionally invited the use of rhyme and alliteration to evoke vivid imagery in their readers.
The British poet William Blake is credited with coining the phrase “poetry is Paradise”, which encapsulates the role that imagery plays in attracting and sustaining an audience. For Blake, poetry was more than a way of making a living, it was a form of art designed to open up the imaginative faculties of the reader, and thus achieve a higher state of being.
Over the years, the use of imagery in literature has greatly expanded, leading to creative writing students being overwhelmed by the abundance of forms and tools offered by today’s modern literature professors. Students can find themselves struggling to find the “right” kind of imagery for the piece they are working on. Fortunately, with a bit of guidance from experts in the field, this challenge can be greatly reduced.
Imagery In Scene Description
An important and unique feature of the creative writing classroom is the opportunity to practice scene description. During scene description, students are asked to write a short exposition on a fictionalized version of a real event. For example, let’s say that you are a creative writing student at a university and you are required to write a scene description for a creative writing class. You could decide to write about a riot that you witness at a party. While this may be interesting and even validating for your readers, your professor may not entirely understand the “artistic” or “creative” value of your work. If your professor doesn’t fully grasp the concept of your assignment, you could find yourself in trouble. Your scene description may seem irrelevant to your readers. This is where the value of using imagery comes in.
When describing a scene, you are invited to evoke images in the mind of the reader. In the example above, you could say:
“I watched in horror as the glass shattered and cut up the skin on my palm. The liquid spilled out and rolled around my feet. Luckily, I managed to grab some napkins before the wound got infected. I remember thinking to myself, as I cleaned up the mess, that this was something different. This was a feeling that I had never before experienced.”
In the above example, you could effectively evoke the image of a shard of glass slicing through the air, dripping with blood as it cuts up your skin. Even if your audience doesn’t understand what you are talking about when describing the scene, they will have the images firmly planted in their head. This sort of imagery will stick with them long after the page is turned. It would be a missed opportunity if your professor didn’t see the value of your scene description.
Imagery In Character Description
Characters are the fundamental building blocks of a story. Without good characters, there would be no story. This is why it is so important to develop a good understanding of what kind of imagery works best for each character.
For example, take the character of Captain Jack Sparrow. A swashbuckling rogue and ladies’ man, Captain Jack is fun to read and very creative in the ways he encounters trouble. From a gunfight with the French navy to a duel with Bones, his nemesis, Captain Jack is always coming up with new ways to navigate his way out of trouble. Because of his resourcefulness and ingenuity, it would be a shame to limit his means of survival to just words alone. If we were to describe Captain Jack using only his looks, we would be severely limiting his repertoire, and the overall appeal of the character. This is why it is important to give a sense of Captain Jack’s verbal wit as well. A good writer would need to convey the atmosphere of confidence and creativity that Captain Jack projects, as well as the underlying sense that this rogue is constantly one step ahead of his enemies. Using words like “sabotage”, “steal”, and “pillage” to describe his activities would greatly enhance the reader’s impression of this swashbuckling rogues.
Another character that would benefit from some memorable imagery is Major Barry Burton, the hero of Ian Fleming’s 1958 short story, “The Adventure of a Quiet Night”. A dedicated army man and stickler for discipline, Major Barry Burton is an unlikely hero, who happens to stumble across James Bond’s hidden identity. Using evocative words and phrases to describe how Bond’s secret is revealed, and the subsequent struggle for survival, would bring the story to life for the reader. If we were to follow the letter of the assignment and only describe the main event of the story, the reader would be missing out on the fascinating glimpse of an English officer’s life that is Major Barry Burton.
Imagery In Conflict And Resolution
Even in moments of peace, stories always have something lurking beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered. In conflict, characters must grapple with various challenges that stand in the way of their desires. In many ways, the process of coming to terms with these conflicts is as exciting as the event itself. This is where the “twists” and “turns” of a good story come into play. A good writer will need to know how to effectively evoke images of a range of emotions in their readers, including fear, exhilaration, and hope.
In the above example, from Raymond Chandler’s 1939 novel, The Simple Art of Murder, the conflict is presented in the form of a battle of wits between the sharp-witted private detective, Sam Spade, and the criminal mastermind, Philip Marlowe. Marlowe wants to keep his identity a secret because he fears that someone will discover his true motives. Spade is determined to unmask the famed author, even if it kills him.
During the course of their battle, Marlowe makes a number of threats to Spade. One of these threats is that he will reveal Marlowe’s identity to the other members of the Marlowe Club. This is a gentlemen’s club that Marlowe belongs to. The other members include some of the most dangerous criminals in the city. Marlowe’s revelation of his identity would undoubtedly lead to his murder. In terms of evoking imagery, Marlowe’s statement, “I’ll give you the greatest show the underground has ever seen”, is a vivid phrase that will stick in the reader’s head. This is a specific image that Marlowe wishes to communicate to Spade. Even if the reader doesn’t know what Marlowe is talking about, they will have the mental image of a vivid display of fireworks, bursting in the night sky, and completely filling the night with colour and light.
Imagery In Anticipation
The last part of a story to be written is often the most exciting part to be written. This is because the writer gets to wrap up loose ends and tell the story in a way that makes sense of what has gone before. When writing the ending to a story, the last thing that you want to do is disappoint your audience, or worse, reveal that you cheated. One good way to avoid this is to use imagery in the exposition, or in the lead-up to the story’s climax. This is especially important if, throughout the story, you have used a number of sensory descriptions to evoke specific images in the reader’s head.
If you have followed the guidelines set out above, you will have effectively used imagery in a number of different contexts. From using words and phrases to evoke vivid sensory impressions in your readers, to using images in your scene descriptions to bring your fictitious stories to life. Within these stories, you have evoked images of a swashbuckling rogue, cutthroat author, battle of wits, an elaborate, night-time display of fireworks, and a whole lot more!