“If you write well, readers see your story differently—but they see it. It’s a visual medium, even in text.” — Gary Smith

What happens when a fine art photographer becomes a novelist?

In this episode of The Storytelling Lab, Rain Bennett sits down with Gary Smith, a visual artist turned fiction author, who brings a unique perspective to the craft: writing as seeing.

Gary explains how his background in photography shapes the way he builds scenes, characters, and emotions on the page. His process begins with feeling, moves through visualization, and ends with carefully structured prose that reads like a cinematic experience.

The conversation dives deep into discipline, creativity, character development, and how the act of storytelling can help both writer and reader reflect on life’s deeper questions. Gary shares how years of long-distance running and construction work taught him the habits and resilience that now power his writing routine.

This episode is packed with wisdom for any writer who wants to create stories that resonate visually, emotionally, and philosophically.

In this episode, you will learn to:

• Develop a storytelling mindset that starts with feeling and translates to visual scenes on the page
• Build a daily writing practice grounded in discipline, not motivation
• Use your life experience to create authentic, layered characters
• See your scenes cinematically and structure your chapters like movie frames
• Understand how self-publishing can be a fulfilling and strategic path for fiction writers

For more storytelling tips and tricks,

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