Wednesday, May 25, 2011

[Partial] Son of a Beach!

But... where is the story?

No, you aren't seeing a mistake.  I have posted a cap without any words beyond a title.

I've gone on a bit about my writers block.  I've had some very good friends offer their help in getting my engines roaring again and I appreciate every single suggestion.  But the nature of my problem really doesn't have a good solution beyond me 'getting my mojo back' and writing.  You see I still try to cap most days.  I'm desperate enough that I don't even bother trying to make a cap for a specific person, as the preferences are just another bloc getting in the way... too many 'oh thats a nice image, but I really want a red head, not a blonde'. So I fire up google images, find an image that sends me the spark of an idea, and try to write it out.

I can find images.  I can even get the skeleton of a story.  My problem comes in writing out the details.  I feel like I'm using a crowbar to get each and every word out.  And when I finaly pry enough out to make a sentence or (gasp) paragraph, it reads just like the example would suggest... like a pile of bent out of shape words.

But I am sick and tired of not making anything.  I love working in photoshop.  From cropping the images, laying out a title, getting a background color scheme, and adding something interesting in the background. It doesn't take me to long, and I have a blast doing it.

So I'm starting up a new project.  Partial Caps.  I am going to take my parial ideas, get a design for them, and then post the blank cap.  I'll add the skeletal idea I have and let your imagination fill in the story.

Or... if you are feeling particularly adventerous, you can fill in the story.  Write a comment out with your story (based on my skeleton, or one of your own that fits the image), and I'll post the completed cap.  I honestly don't expect people to take the effort of writing out a story... lets face it, most people who comment here are already making their own caps, and I don't want to steal even an ounce of your creative juice.  But if the mood strikes you, and you feel like it, go ahead an post it up.

For this image I had the idea of a couple guys walking down the beach.  They see an exotic couple making out and walking behind a rock for some privacy.  One guy mentions to the other something along the lines of 'Man I wish I knew what was going on behind that rock!'  He didn't realize he was rubbing up against a genie's lamp buried in the sand, and he gets his wish. He slowly turns into the woman, and feels everything she is experiencing, starting with being thrown to the ground by her (and now his!) lover.  


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Wow... that didn't take long.  Dee did a wonderful job.  I decided that I would check back 'soon' to see if anyone commented, and much to my surpirse I not only find two comments from Dee, but an entire cap already posted.

Dee has graciously allowed me to post her version here.  Here is what she wrote at the Haven:

"I know you are having a rough time with writers block lately, and saw that you had posted this caption shell, offering it to people to work with.


I think its a great idea to at least make the layout .. that way if you have an idea you can get it put down right away, instead of having to work out layout schemes etc .. I've been doing this as well, and luckily that cuts down my captioning time even more. When you do it like this, perhaps you can just look at what you've done and let the impulse take you wherever it leads.


I tried to do that here. I didn't even read your proposed plot, other than to skim it quickly. What I wanted to do was spend no more than 10 minutes on it and leave it at that. Since I'm at work, I tried to pick a font like you would use (I don't have my signature font at work .. I have adobe folio at home) and just give a basic caption .. nothing too special, but competent.


Don't stress too much over captioning, or the apparent lack of muse. I wonder if your imagination is so good that you are confined by the spacial limitations that captions impart and have to severely edit yourself that way. I still think you might be better off making stories with pictures in PDF format.


Dee"



3 comments:

  1. I am going to take a shot at making something. Not going to use your idea though, just something a bit more generic. I am at work, so it might take me more than 20 minutes depending on interruptions.

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  2. Yay! I was able to have the whole 10 minutes uninterrupted to create and post it .. to your trading folder. Hope it finds you in good spirits!

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  3. Dee came up with a nice caption. Hope you get over your writer's block, Caitlyn. I'm experiencing a little bit of that myself.

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