Island Writers’ creative writing topic this time is ARCHWAY.
The engineering advantage of the arch is its ability to provide supporting strength without solidity, which is why the arch is used for railway bridges and viaducts, as well as buildings with heavy roofs, such as cathedrals and temples. Any of these could be the setting for your short story, or the topic of a poem or piece of descriptive writing.
An incidental advantage is that by the rules of its construction, the arch has an elegant symmetry and proportions which naturally please the eye. This intrinsic beauty has led to arches being used as statement pieces in both classic and ultra-modern monuments. Which famous arches have you visited on your travels? Or maybe your characters are building a monumental arch – what are they celebrating?
As arches are frequently used over gateways or required to span the width of doorways on important public buildings such as colleges, churches and law courts, passing through an arch has come to symbolise passing from one state to another, which is why bridal flower arches are popular at weddings. Your archway could be a portal from the everyday modern world to a different, magical place, or your character’s change of state could be symbolised by the arch – from safety to danger, from childhood to adult life, from pride to disgrace, or from imprisonment to freedom.
From a writer’s perspective, perhaps the most interesting part of an archway is not the arch itself, but the space underneath.
Another aspect of the arch is the protection it can offer, due to the shelter or darkness underneath. Perhaps your character needs to shelter there from rain, hail or snow. and finds an unusual person or an animal hiding there, or a mysterious item secreted in the shadows of the arch.
So, if it’s not a personal question, (she said, archly) what’s under your arch?