As an artist, I break down my subject into its most basic shapes. For instance, the human body is rendered as an oval for the head, a rectangle for the neck, a square for the chest, triangle for the pelvis and rectangles again for the legs. The male measures approximately eight heads (or ovals) in length, while the female is seven to seven and a half. Then, depending on the model, the details for added – all the ‘usual bits’ (eyes, ears, nose, hair) and the not-so-usual ones (the unique markers that make them ‘them’).

Writing is no different than this. We start with an outline and compose an introduction – the head if you will. The middle part is the body of the story, with the end following closely, much like the feet do. Then we add the ‘usual bits’: nouns, adjective, adverbs, pronouns, etc. And like the model, what makes the story unique is…well, you. How you see something with your minds’ eye determines what you output.

Drawing and writing aren’t always this simply, but they shouldn’t be imposing tasks either. Whether it’s a doodle or a masterpiece; a rhyme or a New York Times bestseller, a picture can be painted, using the tools at hand.