I love pictures. You can capture some of the most beautiful moments and powerful feelings through a camera lens. In Chapter 4, Felder explains the dos and don’ts of using images in your Web writing and applies the same rules as writing. Images need clarity, meaning, and spark.

Before adding images to your writing ask yourself these questions to ensure you are making the right choice:

1. What does the image to your reader?
2. Is the message clear, or does it have mixed meaning?
3. What is the tone and and mood of the image? How does it make you feel?
4. Is the image simple, or are there too many things happening or in the background?
5. Will this image alienate anyone in your audience?

Running through this checklist will help you pick the best images for your writing, whether they are pictures, graphs, clip art, illustrations, etc. The most interesting tip I learned was images with embedded text (text on the image) do not translate into ALT text. The ALT text is actually disabled, which means people with poor Internet connections or blind Internet users will not be able to hear or receive the image in any way.

This week’s assignment is to tell a story using one image and words. Once you read mine, try writing your own using just one image and see how creative you can be. It’s a good warm up if you’re into creative writing.

True Independence

I sat down in the seat and melted into the warm black leather. The salesman started the engine, and my heart raced at the rev and slight vibration of the engine. We backed out of the parking lot and headed down the street.

He told me how well it drove, how nicely it handled, and how tight the steering was. All I thought was I cannot wait to learn to drive this car. This perfect, black two-seater that I promised myself after I graduated from college. There was one problem: it was a six-speed manual and I didn’t know how to drive one.

Later that night, I tossed and turned in bed. I barely made enough to pay my regular bills, but I wanted that sports car. I wanted something that was mine, something I could pay for and show off. It wasn’t practical, but the desire to own it was an itch I could not scratch.

The next day, a friend went with me to sign the papers. I decided I could afford it and would find a way to make it work even though I had a family. When the papers were signed, I hopped in my Cavalier while my friend drove my new car, and I followed behind it to my house.

After two long weeks, and a lot of frustration, I learned to drive the car. Over the next year, I became more confident and made slight modifications to it. It was the most expensive thing I had ever bought myself, and it was the first thing that was truly mine. I was the only one on the title, and I was the only one who paid the note.

Now, five years later, it’s mine. It is my baby batmobile, my Z baby, and still a symbol of my independence as a hard working, strong woman. I am judged because it isn’t a family car, and I still do not care. I will drive this 350Z, revving and launching whenever I can, until it cannot go anymore.

This is not just a car. It’s a promise to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to; I have and will continue to succeed.