How Props Help My Writing Process

By Christi Corbett

Lately I’ve been thinking about how I write.  Not style, word choice, or my writing schedule, but the actual “how” of sitting down and writing a novel.

I have an active imagination for storylines, but need inspiration to get the thoughts flowing. Here’s how I do that…

For starters, I listen to music.

Anything from classical to Joe Cocker gets me thinking. Right now, my personal favorites are the soundtrack to the movie All the Pretty Horses, and a cassette tape (I know, I have to drag out a tape player every time I want that one playing) filled with songs about The Oregon Trail from National Geographic.

I also surround myself with various props.

I write historicals so when I need inspiration for what my characters look like I go to an antique store and browse through the collections of photos of people. I have about seven such photos right now for my WIP in a pile right next to my desk.

Also, a silver jewel case is very significant to the storyline of my debut novel, Along the Way Home. I found one I liked via Craigslist, complete with red velvet interior, and bought it---taking great safety precautions during the purchase process of course. It resides right next to my desk. And, you can see it in the opening shots of my book trailer.

*Fun fact: I produced the trailer so I took most of the pictures, including the one with the potatoes. My husband was hungry at the time, so right after I took the picture he knocked off the growths and ate all those potatoes!

I often dress in “period pieces”.

Dressing in clothes/styles from the past allows me to get into the heads of my characters and gives me a sense of what it must have been like for the character to wear such clothes. This includes bonnets, floor-length skirts, frilly things, various styles of cowboy hats, cowboy boots, and a leather holster complete with the fake gun. (I included several of these in my book trailer)

What about you? How do you inspire yourself to complete a task?