Sunday, May 10, 2015

Story Ideas & Color Palettes

   So, today I was talking to my sister, who also writes, and we discovered that we both like to think of color palettes for our stories. We’re both really visual (the hardest part of writing is actually putting the story into words), so figuring out the color scheme helps a TON with moods and settings.

Exhibit A:
   WIP #1 will (hopefully) be a sci-fi/space opera-type adventure. I borrowed a lot of the colors from the movies Treasure Planet and Peter Pan—deep, rich, storybook colors. Lots of oranges, dark blues, and purples.




Exhibit B:
   My sister’s story, which is basically Mary Poppins meets traditional fairy lore, is set in the pseudo-Edwardian countryside during spring and early summer. The colors are natural, with plenty of greens, yellows, pinks, and oranges. There’s a bit of red and some brighter colors, but nothing too loud or artificial.






Exhibit C:
   WIP #2 is about pirates—the good old-fashioned, jolly roger-flying, incredibly romanticized kind. So I've got blues, greens, blacks, reds, yellows, and browns. Anything bold or bright works.





   I’d really love to know if you guys use color palettes or something similar for your projects. They’re very helpful when it comes to pinning down the exact mood of your story. 

All pictures via Pinterest

10 comments:

  1. Wow, such a coincidence because I literally just posted about the colours I see books in. Funnily enough, I don't see colours for my manuscripts specifically -- there are a few colours I like to use for covers and quote posters and such, but they don't vary from ms to ms enough for me to give them colour palettes.

    But I love your ideas, especially the pirates one, and the pictures are really evocative. Hope to see more of your writing teasers on the blog :)

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    1. Hopefully I'll post more about my idea once the actual writing's underway; they're pretty much all in the planning/research stages at the moment, though I do have a few bits and pieces written down. Seeing stories--both my stories and books I read--in colors is something I've always done but hadn't really thought about before. It's super cool that you decided to post about it, too :)

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  2. These are awesome. It really sets the mood for a story. I especially like the pirate one :D

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    1. Thank you! Sometimes I think all the prewriting rituals--developing the characters, setting the mood, figuring out the story--are way more fun than the actual writing :)

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  3. Wow! I don't use color palettes for my WIPs right now, but this post has inspired me to start doing so. I love these color palettes, and I think they are so well put together. I could honestly stare at them forever, they are so gorgeous. I think those story ideas are fantastic, and I can see how making a color palette would really help you get excited to write them.

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    1. Thank you!! Color palettes are great for helping boost your excitement; they're a great way to decide on the "look" of your project. I'm so glad these inspired you, and I hope you have a lot of fun making your own!

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  4. These mood boards are BEAUTIFUL. Makes me want to read the stories they inspire! ^^

    I, too, am a very visual person and the color/tone/hue of the pictures I collect for a story tend to follow a theme. I've even decided on particular color pallets for a story. Then I'll go to a store with paint samples and collect (way too many) that suit my story's mood. I do this especially if I've been doing artwork for the story, but I've also done it for just word projects.

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    1. Wow! I'm HUGELY jealous of anyone who can draw--I'd love to be able to sketch my characters, and I've even heard of writers who storyboard their scenes. I think in pictures, not words, so translating a scene into words is very hard for me.

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  5. Great post! I love seeing your color palette examples. Color schemes are a big deal for me for Pinterest boards in general, but especially for story or book boards. Even if I don't start out with specific colors in mind, they still tend to emerge. :)

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    1. This is the case for me too; even if I don't start a project with a particular color scheme in mind, I'll probably have a good idea of it by the time the idea's been rolling around in my head for a few days. Color palettes tend to develop without me putting much thought into them at first, which is neat--certain stories just "feel" like certain colors to me. Thanks for commenting!

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