Writing challenge
1 Comment »19th March, 2008; Category: Writing Hints
Last week one of my lecturers challenged the group with a fascinating warm-up writing activity.
The challenge: we had to write a paragraph without using the letter “e”.
Now e happens to be the most used letter of the alphabet in English. Mmm… we all rose to the challenge and started scribbling. Below is what I came up with:
I am going to swim all night in the dam for it is so hot. I will wallow and splash all through the long dark hours. I will try not to swallow any of that putrid liquid.
I was feeling very pleased with my effort… until… Just as I was about to share my brilliant piece of writing I realised that I had used that inoffensive little word “the.” Not once – but twice.
Now I could correct this little aberration in this way:
I am going to swim all night in
thea dam for it is so hot. I will wallow and splash all throughthethis long darkhoursnight. I will try not to swallow any of that putrid liquid.
It is not as easy as it sounds.
Try it as a warm-up activity.
Good writing.
More writing hints can be found here.
An accidental story
No Comments »4th March, 2008; Category: Writing Hints
As I crossed the playground my mind was preoccupied by what was ahead of me. I was lost in thought about the lesson I was about to teach to my class. I was trying to remember the activities I had planned. My head exploded. Well – that’s what it felt and sounded like. The pain was instant. A basketball had hit the side of my face. I had not seen it coming. The ball hit the point of my glasses where the arm connects with the frame. They shattered. It took a few moments to gather the pieces – and my thoughts before proceeding to my appointed class. Shaken but unhurt, the rest of the day was interesting – and challenging as I coped as best I could without glasses. Unhurt? Well, yes – if you discount the shock.
Writing activity:
- Think back to a time when you had an accident, or you witnessed an accident.
- Recall what happened and how it affected you and other people.
- Write a description of the events leading up to the accident.
- Describe what happened.
- Explain how it affected you and other people.
- What were the long-term repercussions of this accident?
Now you have the basis of a fictional story. Change the main character from yourself to an imaginary person. Embellish the story by playing around with the facts and imagining other aspects of the accident. Give it a different ending. Do with it what you want – it really is up to your imagination.
Below is a variation on the incident I started with.
Good writing.
As Peter crossed the playground his mind was preoccupied by what was ahead of him. He was lost in thought about the lesson he was about to teach to his class. He was trying to remember the activities he had planned. His head exploded. Well – that’s what it felt and sounded like. The pain was instant. A basketball had hit the side of his face. He had not seen it coming. The ball hit the point of his glasses where the arm connects with the frame. They shattered, pieces flying in several directions. Peter crumbled to the concrete pathway in a state of shock. He passed out. Students from all over the school yard came racing to the scene of the popular teacher lying on the ground. The last thing Peter heard was the sound of an ambulance siren racing to the school.
An endless fascination with people
“An endless fascination for others is a prerequisite to being a novelist – despite the common view of novelists as egocentric and self-absorbed. The self-absorption comes when you are at your desk writing. The rest of the time, you need to be pathologically curious.” from A Novel in a Year by Louise Doughty.
I like that.
“Pathologically curious” about people. A novel needs to be occupied by people. Sometimes lots of them. You can’t write about people unless you know about people. Unless you have a curiosity about people you will struggle to portray people effectively in your novel.
Take some time out to visit the local shopping centre, coffee shop or any place where people congregate. Observe the people you see. Take a notebook with you and write down some descriptions of people. Write a sentence or two about a dozen or more people you see. Who are they? Where did they come from? What are they doing here? What hardships have they endured? Why is that person bright, happy and bubbly? Why is that mother frustrated with her child? What events have impacted upon that stooped old man hobbling along the path? Why is that young man walking with such an aura of confidence?
Give the people you see a story. It may be far removed from reality but that is the power of imagination. Use these story outlines as the basis for characters in your novel. If you can’t fit them in, or they are just plain wrong for your plot, don’t despair. They could well be used in a short story, or even a poem. Never throw away any draft writing; you never know when it can be used.
Good writing.
Further reading:
Writing Hint #45: Using your imagination
“A lady’s imagination is very rapid: it jumps from admiration to love. From love to matrimony. It a moment.” Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.
I am writing this post in my daughter’s office. She is a avid Jane Austin devotee. The above quote she has on a bookmark pinned to her notice board in front of her desk. It started me thinking.
Now let me set the scene:
- I am not going to write about “admiration.”
- I am not going to write about “love.”
- I am not going to write about “matrimony.”
Instead, it was the part about imagination I wish to address. Imagination is very rapid. We can have great leaps of the imagination that can take us soaring with the eagles, flying through the stars or swimming with the whales.
Imagination is the stuff of writing. Without imagination, writers are in a barren land. Without imagination readers would have no reason to read. Imagination is the land of mystery, it is the mighty ocean of the mind, it is the vast expanse of infinity. And we can access our imagination in an instant.
Writers and the imagination
Now for some practical hints about using the imagination.
Writers can tap into this vast storeroom of the imagination to come up with ideas for their stories, novels and poems. Learn to draw from life and all that you come in contact with for the seeds of stories. Always be looking, looking, seeking those gems of ideas that will spring into life as a story. How do writers do this? Let me tell you some ways you can do it.
- People: We meet or see people every day. Sit in a shopping mall and observe the people you see. Choose one of them. Jot down a few ideas about the person. Use your imagination to create a character. Where do they live? Why are they here? Where are they going? What are they worried (or happy) about? Let your imagination run riot.
- Photographs: Pick up a newspaper or magazine. Choose a photo – any photo. Don’t be too fussy; any photo will do. Now let your imagination run wild. (Do not read the caption or the story it accompanies; it will narrow your imagination.) Let your imagination come up with suggestions about a story involving the scene featured in the photo. For example, a photo shows a fisherman sitting in a boat. Who is this man? What problems have driven him to seek the solitude of fishing alone? Why is he looking so anxious?
- News headlines: Skim through a newspaper. Choose one headline; don’t read the article. Let your imagination loose so that it can come up with a story idea as a response to that headline. For example, the headline is about a boy genius entering university at age twelve.Your imagination jumps to thinking you are that boy. How did you get there? What happens to you at university? How do you cope with the rejections of your peers who think you are a freak?
- Household object: Go for a walk around your home. Choose any object that grabs your imagination. Come up with a story idea revolving around the object. For example, you pick up a pair of scissors.Your imagination leaps to murder. How did this murderous weapon come into your home? How are you involved?
- Listen for sounds: On a walk you stop to listen to the sounds around you. The wind is moaning through the trees. Let you imagination take you to a land of mourning, a place of tears and much distress. Why do you feel so sad? Who or what has died, been lost, destroyed or ruined forever?
Look for writing ideas everywhere. In the ordinary things of life. In the mundane objects and experiences. In the commonplace and familiar. And then let your imagination loose.
Good writing.
Writing Prompt #4: About my friend
Time for another writing prompt
Why not try writing about your best friend?
This could be a warm up exercise before getting on with your current writing project. It could also be the gem of and idea for a magazine article. It might also be used as a special letter to enclose with your card or gift when your friend next has a birthday. Whatever you choose to do. The main motivation is to practise your writing and to hone your skills.
Here are some suggestions for writing about your best friend.
- Fifteen reasons why ___________ is my best friend.
- My friend’s favourite foods.
- Thirteen things I like about _______.
- Eight activities I enjoy doing with my friend.
- Three habits of my friend that annoy me intensely.
- Four things I admire about my friend _______.
- How I first met my friend _______.
- Six bizarre facts about my friendship with ______.
- Eleven pieces of evidence that my friend is far crazier than I ever will be.
- Ten things my friend might say about me at my funeral.
Put your friend’s name in the blank spaces.
The numbers are rubbery; use whatever number you prefer because they are only suggestions.
Alternative activity:
Try the same suggestions, but with someone you cannot stand being with – or even someone you detest. (If you try this activity and write about your wife/husband/partner or significant other, do NOT leave your writing lying around – unless you want to make a less than subtle point or two, or have a death wish.)
Good writing.