Express yourself

Tell us about a time you couldn’t quite get your words or images to express what you wanted to express. What do you think the barrier was? For bonus points, try again.

Right now as I am working on my book and I am writing about my character's love of food and her culinary experiences, I am finding it a little difficult to keep the descriptive fresh and not get too bogged down in adjectives or at least trying to stay away from corny adjectives. I am trying to paint pictures of food adulation and sensory indulgence without being repetitive. It is quite challenging, my mind had been focused on my taste buds for the past several days, trying to conjure up the right feelings, sensations and emotions that certain foods elicit from us because my character practically lives and breathes by food. I sort of do as well.

It is part of the appeal in writing my book, making food its own character, friend and companion. I would imagine that photography and painting or sculpting must be just as challenging when what is produced doesn't correspond with what is in your head. It can be frustrating when the words or images seem to elude you or are just off, out of reach, where you can almost touch them and then they are gone, in a wisp of smoke

I suppose that this is part of the allure of the creative arts, when you finally master and harness the ability to successfully communicate the emotions and feelings inside your mind for all of the world to see and understand. I'm not quite there yet, I don't think, I hope to be one of these days.