For many years, in trying to write, I would become lost in page after page of words, words, words.  Reading books about writing I discovered the note card system to organize my novel.  From this I learned about using pictures to enrich my ability to describe things.  It was like turning a light on in a dark closet and once I had illumination I could see all the things I had put on the shelves.  There were characters, settings, weather, and props I could now describe in richer detail.   It was wonderful.  Since that time I use pictures each time I broach something new in my writing process.  In the novel I just finished I have pictures and descriptions of every character, building, even a little green crocodile cake.

For all of the aspiring writers out there, here is a creative writing exercise.

Take a look at the picture below.  Write a scene about a theft.  Who has been stolen from and how?  Why is the object that was stolen so precious?  What was stolen?  The bike?  A car?  The little tin can in the bike basket?  Why are the wheels disassembled and locked up?