Coloring a story...

Trust me. This isn't as bad as you think. I know most of you are groaning, "But coloring is for little kids!" Ah, but it's not. I'm going to post some coloring pointers, and some samples of colored stories. And then you'll understand, and suddenly, you'll be telling all your friends that you've been practicing coloring...Ha. Gotcha. Ok, listen up. (Sorry, but "Read up" didn't sound right...)





I'm going to start by explaining that color can be added in a few different ways. One way is in the characters, what they do, say, how they feel, etc. I'll call this the Crayon option.

Secondly, color can be expressed in the surroundings. E.g. Was the sky dark and stormy? or was it a golden sunrise? I'll call this color Colored Pencil option, because it's slightly more subtle.

And finally, color can be expressed in the narrative, neither describing the people, or places, but merely in the words used to convey meaning. The narrative. I'm going to call this one the Watermark option, because it's not as easily noticed.





Now for colors. You can use any color really, but I'm going to use Gray, Green, light Blue, and Red/Yellow for my demonstrative colors.





I'm going to give samples of these colors right now, starting with Green.



1. Sample #1 is from a story I wrote for Easter about the thief on the cross next to Jesus, who repented of his sin. This paragraph takes place just after he's been thrown into prison, and uses Colored Pencil and Crayon options, respectively.



"The guards grabbed my arms and dragged me through street after street towards the palace, or--more accurately--the dungeon. They threw me into a tiny stone cell. It was dirtier even than the alleys I was used to sleeping in, and it stank"..."I sat there for hours, wondering what would happen. Well, I wished that I could wonder what would happen. Unfortunately, I knew all to well that the punishment for criminals like me was death...by crucifixion. So I sat and waited for the inevitable, with dread weighing like a stone in the pit of my stomach. I waited without even the invisible motion of lengthening shadows to inform me of time. With agonizing slowness, the minutes became hours--became eternity. It was a living death.



2. This sample is from a story I wrote about the naming of Thief River Falls. (If you want the whole story, leave a comment and I'll send it to you. This goes for all my stories.) In the story, a band of Dakota is secretly living in Ojibwa territory, and occasionally they go on raiding parties against the Ojibwa. They've just come back from a successful raid, and are celebrating. The very next paragraph, however, contrasts the green with grey, as the Ojibwa angrily meditate their losses.



"The Dakota warriors were triumphant in their mission. Dances of celebration are held in the center of the village around a huge bonfire. Braves dance wildly, waving their arms, chanting and stomping. A warrior with a fierce mask beats a small drum, tapping out the dance rhythm. Women tap their feet and clap in time to the drum and dancing. Children watch from the shadows, sitting in a circle outside the ring of dancers. Firelight flickers on their faces. A small boy imitates the dancing with exaggerated hilarity, causing his friends to stifle giggles.

"The people of Kemoj Aki village are rejoicing. It is a time of peace now. The braves have defeated their enemies and come home with few casualties. The secret village has remained unnoticed. So the believe. and thus they celebrate. Above them the silver stars twinkle and the Milky Way glows.

"The same stars are shining above a far away village, close to Red Lake. The wind sighs eerily through the grass; here a different dance is taking place. the warriors are more fierce. As they dance, they yell. the drum beats louder. Under his mask, the drummer wears a scowl of hatred. The women do not keep time with their feet but with their voices, wailing and chanting. Their clamor carries far in the still night. Children crouch or sit quietly outside the circle. The flickering fire illuminates their faces randomly, revealing not fear, but determination."



3. And now a paragraph of blue. This paragraph is from a story by (None other than...) Friend Blogger! Of course, I'm sure she'd be glad to share a copy of this story with you, leave a comment on her blog. The girl in the story has just received a bird feeder for Christmas, and she proceeded to hang it outside her bedroom window with the help of her Dad.



"The snow w3as gently falling around us, just like it should on a Christmas day It was fluffy snow, and the world was so silent I could almost hear the flakes hitting the snowdrifts. The little feeder swung in the cold wind and a light dusting of snow already lay on its roof. But pretty soon my hands were so cold they felt like they weren't even there, so we went it.

I got a cup of hot chocolate and sat in my room on my window seat. I fluffed a goose down blanket over my knees and listened by Mom playing Silent Night on the piano. It was cozy and somehow that bird feeder hanging outside my window fit into the scene."

4. Finally, a bit of red/yellow. I thought these two colors went together to well to separate. This color sample is from one of my favorite books, The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien. The scene is the birthday celebration of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit. (If you aren't familiar with hobbits, leave a comment, and I'll be the first to welcome you to the world of film!)

"There were rockets like a flight of scintillating birds singing with sweet voices. There were green trees with trunks of dark smoke: their leaves opened like a while spring unfolding in a moment., the their shining branches dropped glowing flowers down upon the astonished hobbits, disappearing with a sweet scent just before they touched their upturned faces. There were fountains of butterflies that flew glittering into the trees; there were pillars of coloured fires that rose and turned into eagles, or sailing ships, or a phalanx of flying swans; there was a red thunderstorm and a shower of yellow rain; there was a forest of silver spears that sprang suddenly into the air with a yell like an embattled army, and came down again into the Water with a hiss like a hundred hot snakes."

And finally, a sentence that not only makes me smile, but embodies perfectly, the Watermark option.

"When Mr. Bilbo Baggins announced that he would shortly be celebrating his Eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton."


Now a challenge. Write a short essay or story, whichever you are more comfortable with, and practice using all three types of coloring. Use different colors. Be dramatic. Be subtle. Splash one scene full of bright blue, sea green, and aqua-marine. Shade one page with pale, sunshiny yellow and translucent emerald. "Magic" up an over-cast tone using browns and grays. Dash back the darkness with brilliant gold and crimson. Use your imagination as only you know how, and go start coloring. :-D