Graphics, Layout, and Design (Gandhi’s Vision For India)

Most of my own fiction writing requires no graphics except the cover. Now that I am doing some ghost-writing, editing, proofreading, and publishing, I’ve found non-fiction, transformational, business books need graphics to break up the copy and hold the reader’s interest. It’s very different than telling a story where you can’t wait to see what happens to your favorite character!

Of course, Microsoft Publisher is a great program to start the process of incorporating graphics, pictures, and layout design. It’s easy to use and flexible: sizing, framing, changing color, contrast, brightness, and other effects like reflection, glow, WordArt, bevel, shadow, and much more.

I just recently found a great web site: http://www.dreamtime.com . Thousands and thousands of free stock photos or if you need something unusual you can purchase credits to buy photos at extremely low prices ($14.99 bought me enough credits for about 11 pictures).

I was writing a brief non-fiction section for a client on Mahatma Gandhi. We all know that Gandhi was a great spiritual leader, but his story of tribulation in gaining India its independence from Great Britain was one of great sacrifice that failed. No, he did achieve independence, but the plan he had for India as a united, self-sufficient country never materialized after one of his own followers murdered him. The country was taken over by leaders that did not follow Gandhi’s vision. Consequently, India has had social unrest and division among its varied groups of people for over 60 years.

You’re probably wondering why I bring this story up? The icon or symbol of the Gandhi movement was the oldest form of the spinning wheel. It represented the self-sufficiency of growing your own cotton, spinning your own threads, making your own clothes, and the crops feeding the people of the village. I was able to find many, many graphics of this item on dreamtimes and purchase what I needed for about $1.20 in credits. I will include it here as an example of the unusual, but check out dreamtimes for photos and graphics to pull your writing together, mix up the layout, and add interest to your piece!