Wednesday 17 June 2020

Wallpaper

Judging by the response to last week's post, in which I asked for your competition news and provided the usual three links to free writing competitions, that subject is no longer of interest to my readers, so I'm dropping it for now. Instead Wednesday word of the week is back!

Wallpaper is, of course, paper sold to stick on walls to make them look pretty, or cover cracks, or both. Oddly I haven't got a single photo of wallpaper. Here's some fancy panelling (at Bolsover castle). It's a wall covering and made from the same stuff as paper ...

Wallpaper can also mean an unobtrusive background, often background noise.

I don't recall every coming across wallpaper as a writing term until it appeared in a lovely review of Firestarter last week. (Ooops, I seem to have 'accidentally' included a more recent one too!)

In this context wallpaper means background, setting or location. It can form an important part of the story, or just be there to stop the reader feeling the action happening in a void.

What kind of wallpaper do you like?

7 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I like Wednesday words.
After removing wallpaper from two rooms in our house, the kind I like is none!

Natalie Aguirre said...

I'm with Alex after removing some in two rooms that had the wallpaper covered by paneling.

ados123 said...

I liked the free writing competitions - I often enter them!
Alyson

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Patsy - essentially I'm a non-wallpaper person too ... but I did paper a bedroom in South Africa and thoroughly enjoyed myself and was pleased with the results. Some of the wallpapers I've seen in the various home visits we've made on tv - ps all 'celebrity type ones' they're ghastly!?! Cheers Hilary

Marguerite said...

Like Alyson, I too enjoy seeing the free writing competitions but appreciate they take time to gather. Needed to say something before you thought no one at all was interested!
I have fantasy scenes on my desktop wallpaper which I change regularly, sometimes seasonal. Almost always, no people. Wallpaper from my childhood was invariably big landscapes, lovingly matched by my father - I can see why they have lost their appeal! Too much trouble!

Patsy said...

@ Alex – My previous home had gloss painted woodchip. Removing that put me off the stuff too.

@ Natalie – I just have paint now. We've got a lot of pictures up, so you don't see much of it.

@ Alyson – I like them too, but it's clearly not a popular blogging topic.

@ Hilary – Wallpaper does seem to be getting increasingly unpopular.

@ Marguerite – There's a real art to matching the patterns.

New girl on the block said...

I like to know about the free competitions. I've even entered a few - no success so far, but who knows...?!? I'd love you to keep them coming if possible.