Mood

Yep. Mood. Not like "moody teenager" or "PMS moody", but the mood in the WIP. I sometimes use visual cues like the picture above to help set the mood when I'm not seeing the setting very clearly. It helps to know where my characters live, what they see on a daily basis. Most of the time, I can see the setting clearly. But there are times when I need a specific location or something to jog the old imagination.

So, what sort of mood does this picture evoke for you? I find it peaceful, reassuring. Comforting. I can picture an after church picnic happening here, a young couple sneaking off into the woods for a walk and a quick kiss or five. A sudden rainstorm would send people either to their cars or the church for shelter except for the older couple who, laughing, swing each other around and dance to music only they can hear. I can see an old man, white-haired, bent, moving with the aid of a cane slowly across the grass as he looks for a place to be alone. Away from the mourners still at his beloved wife's gravesite...

So many mood possibilities from one li'l picture.

Happy Writing!