Writer's Wrapup - Collage Mania

This last book, I tried collaging for the first time ever. I bought a standard sized piece of white carboard, in other words, a big piece about 24 inches (60 cm) squared. And proceeded to fill it up with imaged I cut out from magazines, catalogues and printed from the Internet.

Here's what happened, pros and cons in any old random order:

• I built the collage in rows and kept going until almost all the white space was filled, but with nothing overlapping.
• I chose anything that 'felt right' when I looked through magazines and catalogues.
• I deliberately went looking for Brisbane city and water scenery and used a lot of it.
• When I started to plot out the story, I referred to the collage, looking for inspiration.
• I found the collage images offputting while I was trying to write the early chapters of the book.
• I wanted everything on the collage to have a translatable or at least imaginable meaning.
• I hid the collage behind my desk so I couldn't see it even if I just got up to move around the room.
• Burning the collage on the barbecue out the back felt a quite appealing idea for several weeks.
• I pretty much forgot the collage as I kept writing.
• It came time to add some texture to the story and I pulled out the collage so I could look at the water scenery, which ended up playing a strong part in my story.
  
• While looking over the collage I realised some of it had translated into the story, probably more than half of the other pictures.
• I went shopping for shoes and when I got home realised I'd bought the pair on the collage and had a 'Nah nah nah nah' eerie moment.
  

Now I'm finished writing the story and wondering if collaging is something that's going to be good for me in the future or not. It's clear I can't do it in the way of getting images and pasting them all over the place. They either have to be in regimented lines or not at all. Even the thought of doing otherwise makes my head want to explode (see my post on the Bio/Media page about Living With A Difference).

I also don't like that some of the images don't make sense now that I'm done. I have a box of Asian noodles on my collage. I guess I could say that signifies that they ate together, but really, I think that's just a stretch.

But it was great to have the pictures there to refer to when I wanted to. The scenery, the pictures I'd chosen to guide me about the general physical looks of the hero and heroine, the one that showed a man and a woman about to kiss. Ones of Brisbane water scenes, and of clothing the hero and heroine wore and a tent and a travel bag that ended up becoming one of my favourite scenes in the book. I did write some of the things into the story, and that felt great too.

So I'm thinking I will try this again for the next book, but not pasted on cardboard. I'm going to corkboard some images - in neat rows to keep my brain happy - and that way if there are any I decide are just messing with my head partway through the writing process, I'll take them down. Why DID I have an image of a man playing a violin and a woman playing a cello, anyway???

Writers - have you collaged? How did you find the experience? Would you do it again? Was it great for you or did it mess with your head?

For me - some of each. The joys of new discovery as a writer. I wouldn't swap the experiences for anything.

Jennie