For students in a creative writing class, inspiration is key. Luckily, inspiration can be found almost anywhere as long as the mind is open. The following prompt, focused on writing from another person's perspective, helps writers learn how to bring characters to life.
Through related literature, art and text books, students encounter real-life people whose accomplishments or failures exemplify human nature. With this art prompt, students can stretch their writing muscles to learn how to be empathetic and write from other points of view.
Using Art as a Fiction Writing Prompt
In Mary Cassatt's painting, The Boating Party, 1893 -1894, three people are in a boat on blue seas. The reason for the boat ride isn't known, the people's names aren't known, and the back story of the boat ride, itself, isn't known. For this reason, the painting is a perfect outline for a narrative story.
The students should be given time to observe a painting or poster of The Boating Party or any other chosen art work that has several people in it. The teacher should encourage the students to look deeply into the faces in this portrait. Each face will tell a story.
Along with facial expressions, each person will also convey other details. The hairstyle, clothing, accessories – these are all possible clues about the era and wealth of the people. Students should be reminded to notice details about the boat, the water, the background, all clues to the story they will write.
The Writing Process
Each student should write an essay or poem after observing the artwork. Their assignment should cover point of view. Each person in the painting is thinking, feeling, hoping for something. The writer should be able to empathize with each person in the painting by telling a story through each character's voice.
If the character in the painting looks educated, the writing will sound more formal. If the person is a baby, as in The Boating Party, the writing will sound more primitive. If the person is a woman from a particular century or country, the writing and voice should be appropriately worded. This part of the writing comes out of thinking and observing as well as research into the time period.
Teachers can help by asking questions for those students who struggle to find that first character's point of view.
Questions to Help Students Write a Narrative
- Where is this boat?
- Where are they going?
- Why are they going?
- Are they enjoying the journey or are they escaping from something?
- What is happening?
- What is the man thinking or worrying about?
- What is the woman thinking about or hoping for?
- What is the baby thinking and saying to herself?
- What will be happening to them when they get out of the boat?
Improving Writing Skills
Students will find that they understand the feelings and motives of other people while working on this project. They will learn to implement these feelings in their written narratives. Once the stories or poems have been completed, reading them out loud will surprise the students by the vast differences in story lines while observing the same painting.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like A Mini Lesson on Metaphor or Writing Using Memory.
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