The Ghost of Time: Envisioning The Story

Guest Post by Samantha LaFantasie

Ghost of Time – How Visual Aids Helped Me Write My Story

Making a story feel real with visual aids are one of the many things that get left in the dust when many authors talk about their books. For me, visual aids are an important part of my process. From locations to character descriptions, pictures help me to keep things a bit more consistent than I could without them. I think we can all agree that helps a story to feel more “real.” So, with that in mind, I thought I would take a moment to share two of the biggest things that help me keep things visually in check with The Ghost of Time and many of my other stories.

1. Pinterest.

I’ve written about my addiction before. I use it for everything. But mainly settings, inspiration for elements within a story, and character appearance. Gotta make sure the color of eyes and hair doesn’t change.

For example, January Fogarty who is modeled by actress Denise Vasi. The only thing I changed were her eyes (though I absolutely love dark skin and light eyes).

(Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And can’t forget about that intricate transmutation circle either. This is the image I based mine off of. Obviously, mine is a little simpler. I couldn’t imagine trying to outline this entire thing in text! This worked perfectly as a base for my design.

(Image courtesy of Pinterest)

 

2. Google/Google Maps

I needed a place that would be both inconspicuous and in plain sight. This would be the abandoned research facility that was turned into a headquarters of sorts and also where most of the story takes place. I had already decided on the location (Houston, TX), so having this pop-up immediately was perfect! I also use Google Maps for locations like the park (but I couldn’t find a suitable image to use, sorry!).

(Image courtesy of this site)

 

 

 

 

 

 

For me, as a visual learner, these really help me to bring the story more life and make it feel a lot more life-like than relying on my imagination alone. I hope that you agree with me when you read The Ghost of Time in July.

 

About Samantha LaFantasie

A Kansas native, Samantha LaFantasie spends her free time with her spouse and three kids. Writing has always been a passion of hers, forgoing all other desires to devote to this one obsession, even though she often finds herself arguing with her characters through much of the process. She’s primarily a fantasy writer but often feels pulled to genres such as sci-fi, romance, and others.
Samantha became a bestselling author with the Pandora Boxed Set (which includes Made to Forget: Nepherium Novella series–Part One) on both Amazon and USA Today. Samantha loves to take time to enjoy other activities such as photography and playing her favorite game of all time, Guild Wars 2.