Setting Limits

Limitations can be liberating.  I know it sounds like a contradiction, but hear me out.  Sometimes having too many choices can be paralyzing and the best thing we can do for our writing is to set some limits.  To that end, here are a few exercises that help me keep those pesky choices in check.

Minus an "E":  Inspired by Ernest Vincent Wright's Gadsby: A Story of Over 50,000 Words Without Using the Letter "E" in this exercise I challenge you to write for 15 minutes and the only limitation is you cannot use the letter "E."  For variations on this assignment, choose a different vowel (no fair choosing "Y") and write for 15 minutes without that vowel instead.

The idea here is that by limiting which vowels you can use, you have to stop and really think about each word you choose.  It exercises your brain in a way that regular writing doesn't.  Sure, you might not produce a work of genius with this exercise, but it trains you to think about word choice and you'll start seeing the results in your writing in general.

Single Syllables:  Another exercise I learned from a favorite writing teacher is to write for 15 minutes using only one-syllable words.  Not only does it make you stop and choose your words carefully, but by using only one-syllable words you'll infuse your work with energy and punch that you don't get from words with multiple syllables.

Sometimes when I feel like a piece I'm writing needs more punch, I'll go back and rewrite a section, trying to use more one-syllable words.  The change in the energy never fails to amaze me.

What do you think?  Do you think you need to set some limits in your writing?  If so, what tricks have you used that work?

Words, Glorious Words!

All writers--whether they write lofty literary fiction or spunky sparkly vampire stories--have one thing in common: an intrinsic love of words.  We can't get enough of words.  We're like Oliver, lifting up his bowl and saying: "Please, sir, I'd like some more."

Today's post is about glorious words that enrich our love of language.  One tool I've developed that helps me rekindle my love of words is the Word Box. 

The concept is simple, really; you just cut up a sheet of paper into lots of little slips and write a random word on each slip.  They can be words you love or hate, words that sound funny or that are fun to say aloud.  The point is that the words be random.  Once you're done, put your word slips in a container (an envelope, bag, small box.  The only requirement is that it should be easy for you to reach in and pull out a few words at random.

How to Use the Word Box: Pull out 3-7 words at random.  Write for 15 minutes and use all the words.  Note: No fair using a random word in a way that doesn't make sense or feels forced.  All the words have to feel like they belong in the piece.   Tips: (1) Start with with 3 words and work your way up to 7 with practice.  (2) Keep adding new words to your Word Box over time, to keep things fresh.

Homework: Start a Word Box of your own.  With a little help from friends, the task of finding random words can be easy.  Share some of your own word finds in the comments and borrow suggestions from each other!

Here are 20 words from my Word Box to get you started:

galaxy, gamble, fissure, scamper, flutter, flash, troll, manipulate, secret, nefarious, snarl, flinch, croak, glitz, arabesque, pirate, swirl, windswept, totem, no.

A note about DIY MFA Chat today, (5pm ET) I know it's Easter so I wasn't sure if any of you were still up for a chat.  Please tweet or comment if you're still up for chatting and I'll be there.  If enough people respond saying "yes I'll be there" then we'll proceed as always.  Watch the #diymfa thread for a twitter update on the status of the chat.  I'll a couple of hours before and let you all know if the chat's still on or if we're taking the holiday off.  Sound good?

ABCs of Story Analysis

Today's technique is one I learned from my thesis adviser and I found it so helpful that it's stayed with me.  While you can use this technique to develop your own stories, you can also use it as a method of analyzing stories that you read.  Today, I'd like you to take a few minutes and read Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find.

This story is one of my favorites in terms of plot development because while it follows the ABC method beautifully, it is by no means predictable.  In fact, even though you know what's going to happen, it's one of the most suspenseful stories I've read.  What keeps you reading is the How.  You might have a hunch what the ending will be but you want to know how we get there.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  First the ABC method of Story Analysis.

A = Action.  The action sets the story in motion.  Some teachers give this a fancy name--"inciting incident"--but really all that means is that an action has to kick-start the story.  (Tip: If it takes too long for an action kick in, maybe you need to start the story closer to where the action starts.)

B = Background.  At some point early in the story, you need to establish who these characters are and what their story is.  This doesn't mean giving pages and pages of back-story.  Rather, a few well-placed details can give us all the background we need.

C = Conflict.  This is probably the most important element in your story.  Without conflict, you might have a great sequence of events or a lovely character study, but you don't have a story.  90% of the time, the conflict comes from the character wanting something and an obstacle getting in his/her way.

D = Development.  Most of the story or novel occurs in this phase.  This is where we see various obstacles get in the character's way.  This is where subplots emerge.

E = Ending.  The ending consists of 3 C's: Crisis, Climax and Consequences.

• Crisis: The events leading up to the climax.
• Climax: This is the final showdown, the big event at the end of the story/novel where everything unravels.
• Consequences: Also called "Denouement" is where some or all of the plot threads are tied together.

Now you know the ABC method, I'd like you to look at the Flannery O'Connor sometime this week and try to identify the different elements in that story.  It's not a very long story, but take your time with it and really try to pick apart how O'Connor crafts this story.  The ABC elements are your guide.


Homework:  This week I would like you to read and analyze A Good Man is Hard to Find.  In addition, today, I'd like you to take at a piece of your own writing and examine it using the ABC method.  Jot down some notes on how elements A-E and the 3C's function in your piece.

What did you discover from your analysis?  Did you notice any elements missing from your story?

DIY MFA: Morphological Forced Connections

Hello Friends of iggi!

Welcome to Week 2 of DIY MFA.  Last week we talked about using characters to spark ideas.  Now we'll be shifting gears and looking at story elements that can generate ideas.

Today we'll be talking about Morphological Forced Connections, a technique I learned when taking a creativity seminar in graduate school.  I've blogged about this technique in DIY MFA before, but this time we're taking a slightly different approach.  Before, we used this technique to brainstorm ideas for new stories but today we'll be applying it to your current work-in-progress.

Step-by-Step Guide to Morphological Forced Connections:

What you need:
• Paper and pencil
• Random.org

Step 1: Answer the following questions.

• What does your character want?
• List at least 5 possible obstacles that will get in the way.
• List a set of worst-case scenarios that could happen.
• List a set of settings where the big show-down could happen should a worst-case scenario occur.
• 4 possible outcomes to the story:

1. Character gets what he/she wants.
2. Character doesn't get what he/she wants.
3. Character decides he/she wants something else.
4. Character gets what he/she wants but realizes he/she didn't really want it.

Step 2: Make a pretty little chart, like this:

Obstacles   Worst-Case              Settings         Outcome

                    Scenarios    

Option 1          Option 1                 Option 1        1.  Gets what he wants
Option 2          Option 2                 Option 2        2.  Doesn't get what he wants
Option 3          Option 3                 Option 3        3.  Wants something else
   etc.                    etc.                         etc.            4.  Doesn't really want it

Note that for this exercise, you don't have to make the same number of options in each column.  You can brainstorm as many options for the first three columns as you like.  The only column with a set number of options is the outcome because there are four basic possibilities.

Step 3: Use Random.org to choose an option from each of the four lists.  Random.org will choose numbers at random from 1 to whatever number you choose.  Just plug in how many options you have for each column and it will pick one at random.

Step 4: Write!  Take that show-down scene where the worst-case scenario happens and write that scene.

Homework: Try out this technique, then check-in in the comments, to let us know how it went!

Acrostic Character Bio

Now that you've gotten to know your characters a bit more, you'll need an easy way to keep track of all this new information.  After all, if you're writing on-the-go, you can't exactly tote around stacks of pages with character dossiers.  This is where the Acrostic Bio-in-a-Nutshell comes in.  This technique forces you to choose the most important details of your character and organizes it in a compact way.

First a word on acrostics.  I got the idea for this exercise from acrostic poems written by Lewis Carroll, in which the first letter of each line spells the name of the person to whom the poem is dedicated.  It occurred to me that you could use the same technique to organize information in a character dossier, using the character's name as the basic structure.  Here follows an example of a character bio for one of the character's I've worked with for a story that is now in press.

Lucy Marie Watson

Loyal to her friends
Unaware her best friend (Jake) has a crush on her
Crush on Ralph (leader of her group of friends)
Young (age 11, 6th grade)


Moral compass of the group
Always wears hair in a pony tail
Reliable
Incredibly close to her dad
Efficient (plans ahead)


Willing to take risks and break rules if it's for a good reason
Adventurous
Two sisters: Danielle (older) and Caroline (younger)
Smart (smartest kid in her group, though the boys would never admit it)
Obedient (usually) so when she breaks rules, she feels guilty
No idea she what to do about her crush (not even aware she has one)

Notice how most of the information is focused on the interpersonal relationships (not a lot of appearance or demographic detail).  For Lucy the relationships were the most important part of her character development so the acrostic bio reflects that.  If your character has a unique appearance or a job that is central to his/her character, then those things are likely to be the ones that pop up on the acrostic.

I like to write my acrostic bio-in-a-nutshell on an index card.  That way I can carry it with me in my notebook and have it right at my fingertips when I need it.

Homework: Choose one of your characters (preferably one you've worked with this week) and write an acrostic bio that reflects who that character is at their core.

Then tell me, how has your study of character gone this week?  Discover something new about a character or two?  Anything surprise you?

20 Questions to Create a Character

Remember that game 20 Questions, where you had to guess what the person was thinking of only by asking yes/no questions?  This exercise uses a similar technique to help you develop a new character or get to know an existing character better.

There are two ways you can use 20 Questions to create or develop a character.

Option A: Take a character you've been working with, perhaps one from your current work-in-progress (WIP).  Answer these twenty questions as quickly as possible about your character.  Then write a short scene with that character, using this new-found knowledge.

Option B: (my personal favorite) Use a coin-toss to select one option from each pair.  That's your character.  Now write.

The 20 Questions are:

1. Male / Female
2. Old soul / Young at heart
3. Left brain / Right brain
4. Glass half-empty / Glass half-full
5. City / Country
6. Big spender / Penny pincher
7. Loves water / Can't swim
8. Glasses / Tattoo
9. Dogs / Cats
10. Hybrid car / SUV
11. Bites nails / Always manicured
12. Chocolate syrup / Hot sauce
13. Coffee / Tea
14. Overgrown garden / Plastic plants
15. Always tells the truth / Lies when necessary
16. Organic food / Fast food
17. Straight hair / Curly hair
18. Soft-spoken / Loudmouth
19. PBS / Reality TV
20. Motto: "Do or die" / "Look before you leap"

This exercise is based on an exercise from the Write Brain Workbook by Bonnie Neubauer.

Homework: Use this technique for one of your existing characters or create a new one.  Now write a short scene with that character, where at least three of these details are revealed.  This can be something completely new or an extension of a piece you're already writing.

5 Steps to Mindful Writing

Mindfulness is the idea of becoming aware of our mind; we notice when it wanders and strive to bring it back to the task at hand.  Mindfulness is all about being present and living fully in the moment.

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about mindfulness and its connection to writing.   In particular, how can we as writers, improve our writing practice by being more present in the moment?  Here are 5 steps I've discovered that bring me to more mindful writing. 

1)  Show up at the page.  This is the "being present" part of mindfulness practice.  It might seem like a no-brainer, but you can't write if you don't actually show up at the page.  These days it's so easy to putter around and "look busy."  You can tweet or post on Facebook that you're writing.  You can hang out with writing friends and talk about how you're going to write.  You can do lots of things instead of writing, but if you don't actually pull out your pen and paper to write, you won't get any writing done.  It's that simple.

2)  Be aware.  Are you feeling overly judgmental about the current project?  Are you loving your idea a little too much?  Is your inner critic gnashing at the bit?  Notice your emotional impulses (especially fears and worries) as you write, then set them aside and keep writing. 

Tip:  I keep a worry jar on my desk where I write my fears on a slip of paper and put it in the jar.  This way, I get them out of my head and put them away for safe-keeping so that I can keep writing. 

3)  Draw on your Wise Mind.  Wise Mind is where Emotional Mind and Rational Mind intersect.  Wise Mind is where you find the resources to write mindfully and push forward in your work.  When you write, your Rational Mind might be worried about pragmatics: how tough it is to get published and why you should be researching potential agents before you write your book.  Your Emotional Mind will probably focus on emotions like: What's the use?  Whatever you write will never be perfect so why bother?

Wise mind is the part of you that tells the other two to shush.  It's the part of your mind that acknowledges that both Rational Mind and Emotional Mind do have a point but that they're not right about everything.  Yes you need to know something about the business, but if you don't write, you won't have anything to sell.  And maybe your book won't be perfect, but you can work at it and make it better, as long as you put words on the page in the first place.

4)  Sit with your discomfort (for a little while).  I hate mindfulness exercises.  I fidget too much and can't keep still.  My left knee is always bouncing and I have a nervous tick where I start to laugh if I think people are looking at me.  Still, I make myself do them because I know it's important.   I do my best to sit with my discomfort for a while, until it starts to melt away.

The same is true for writing.  I used to have this knee-jerk reaction whenever writing something would get hard: I'd start writing something else.  Now I force myself to sit with the uncomfortable project for a little while, to see if my decision to set it aside is one of pragmatics (the project just isn't feasible) or based on my own discomfort.  If the latter, I try to work through the discomfort.

5) Practice, practice, practice.  This comes back to showing up at the page.  The goal with mindfulness isn't to be aware of every thought every minute of the day.  The point is to be able to turn on the "mindful" switch and become aware when you need to be.  The same is true for writing.  You need to practice getting "in the zone" so that eventually you will be able to do it on command.

Contrary to popular belief, the brain is a muscle and you need to work it often.  As you become more accustomed to switching on this level of awareness--this mindfulness--you'll be able to do it whenever your writing needs a boost.

Dice Games for Writers

As a writer, I have found that one of the most versatile (and portable) sources of writing prompts is a set of dice.  There are many writing games you can play with a die and they can help bust through writing blocks.  Here are a few games that work for me.

Writing by Numbers
Roll the die and multiply the number by 10.  That is the number of minutes you have to write.  Do not stop writing.  Keep your hand moving.  If you find yourself getting distracted, bring yourself back and keep writing.  Subject doesn't matter; what's important is that you're writing.  You can do a similar exercise where the number on the die indicates the number of pages you need to fill in your writing session. 

Tip: Writing by hand often helps kill the inner critic.  After all, it's OK to be messy while scribbling in a journal.


6 Questions
Roll the die.

1=Who?   2=What?   3=When?   4=Where?  5=Why?   6=How?

Use the question to investigate a character from a current project.  Push the question as far as it will go.  For example, if you rolled 1, you might ask "Who is this character?"  "Who is he at the core?"  "Who is he to his friends?"  "His enemies?"


Point of View
Roll the die to determine which POV to write in.

1 = 1st person
2 = 2nd person
3 = 3rd person limited
4 = 3rd person multiple
5 = omniscient
6 = wild card*

*For wild card, choose any other point of view not listed above.  If you're not sure what the options are, you can find more info on POV in this post.

Roll the die again.
odd # = present tense
even # = past tense

Why Dice Games?

There's something freeing about leaving some element of one's writing up to chance.  It's as though all the responsibility is no longer just in the writer's hands.  By making your writing time into a game of chance, it can help strip away some of the anxiety or perfectionism which often haunts many writers.

Famous Last Words

Everyone's always talking about first sentences and how important it is that they make an impact and draw the reader into the story.  But what about the last sentences, the words that stick with readers after they put down the book?

As writers, most of us are wired to take a sentence and write forward from it, but how often do we write toward something, toward an ending?  A classic writing exercise is to take a random sentence from a famous novel and write from there, using those words to jump-start our own writing.  Today I'd like to challenge you all to do the opposite.  Below is a list of last sentences, final words from existing books.  The idea here is to write toward these last words so that they fit as the last sentence of your piece.

Here's a fun exercise! Choose one of the sentences below and write a short piece with the sentence you chose as the final sentence.

• No one has claimed them yet.
• "Let me tell you about it."
• Everything must go.
• "Make me pretty."
• ...and it was still hot.
• It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.  [She] was both.

Bonus points to anyone who can guess which books these sentences come from!

A Question of Character

Today is our first day of the Craft component of DIY MFA and I'll begin with a caveat.  Craft is a HUGE topic and there's no way I'd be able to cover every detail in just four posts.  Think of these Craftivity posts each as an "amuse bouche" to whet your palette, teasers to spark further study.

Today's topic is character.  One of the things I often have trouble with when developing characters is keeping track of all of their traits and details.  Here are two tricks I've come up with to help keep tabs on my characters.

Character Compass

I'm sure most of you have heard the adage: Show, Don't Tell.  Well according to Writing Fiction (Gotham Writers' Workshop), there's not one, not two, but four ways you can show your character's traits.  These are: Thought, Appearance, Dialogue, Action (or as I like to call it, TADA!).  I don't know about you, but I have enough trouble juggling one aspect of my character at a time, much less four of them simultaneously.  This is why I devised a tool called the Character Compass.

Here's how it works.  You draw a circle with two perpendicular axes (see example above).  Label each axis with the TADA techniques.  Now draw a dot on that line to indicate how much of each you used for that character in a given scene (the closer the dot is to the circle's edge, the more of that technique you used.)  Connect the dots and you get a visual representation of how you showed that character.

Now I can guess what you'll say next.  Do you really have to use the same amount of all four TADA techniques?  No.  The point of the Character Compass is to highlight what your tendencies are.  For example, using the Character Compass on a WIP, I learned that I rely a lot on dialogue and actions to show characters' traits but I rarely use appearance and I'm terrified of using thought.  This exercise was a wake-up call for me because it showed me areas of my characters that I had been neglecting.  I realized that in order to be a versatile writer it's important that I be comfortable in using all of the TADA techniques, not just one or two.

Acrostic "At-A-Glance" Bio

Another trick I picked up is what I call the Acrostic "At-A-Glance" Bio for my characters.  I'm sure many of you can relate when I tell you that I write these long, extensive bios for my characters.  Trouble is, I forget half of the information when I actually sit down to write.  I got frustrated paging through long documents to look up details about my characters so I devised this method of creating "At-A-Glance" Bios.  These character bios are so small, I can write them each on one index card and tuck them in my notebook.  Here's how it works.  (This technique was inspired by the poetry of one of my favorite authors, Lewis Carroll.)

Step 1: Write the character's name vertically on the page so that each letter gets one line.
Step 2: For each letter of the character's name write a trait or important detail about the character.

Example: Cheshire Cat from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Cat
His grin stays behind
Eccentric
Says "we're all mad here..."
Hides out in Wonderland
Invisible at times
Reappears gradually, sometimes not completely
Exceedingly mad

Croquet with the Queen
Appears and disappears
Talks in riddles

These acrostic bios are tricky but they force you to think of your character in terms of specific, concrete details.  In the end, I haven't abandoned regular character bios completely, I just use these acrostic bios as a way to keep the most essential traits of my characters on the tip of my mind.

Today's Task: try your hand at one of today's techniques.  Or, if you prefer, share another tip or trick you've used that relates to developing characters.

The Essentials

The way I see it, there are three basic types of writing books.  You have books on craft, books of writing exercises and prompts, and books about the writing life.  A well-balanced writing library should probably represent all three types.  Yet, not all writing books are created equal and as someone with limited shelf-space at my disposal, I've had to pick and choose which writing books I add to my collection.  That's when I came up with this list of The Essentials.  If I had to pick only one or two books in each category, these are the books I would choose.


Craft

 If you must own only one book on the craft of fiction, I would recommend Gotham Writers' Workshop Writing Fiction.  This book gives you the basics on character, plot, dialogue and description.  There are many books on craft that are similar, but I'm partial to this one because each chapter is written by a different author.  This means that as a reader you gain a variety of perspectives and approaches to writing, rather than just one author's view.



Similarly, if poetry is your preference, the book on craft that I would  recommend is Kim Addonizio's Ordinary Genius which I reviewed previously on this site.  This book explains the craft of poetry without losing the beauty of it as well.  In addition, the writing is so fluid and engaging that we don't even realize we're learning about craft.  This is the sort of book you could read cover-to-cover, like a novel.





Writing Exercises

There are lots of great books with writing exercises and prompts, some of which I've already reviewed on this blog.  I find, though that if I were forced to choose only one, it would be The 3am Epiphany by Brian Kiteley.  While there are many other books that offer interesting exercises, this one is my favorite because the prompts not only get you writing, but they force you to consider elements of craft as well.  In fact, you could learn as much about craft from this book as you would from the craft books listed above.  There is also a sequel to this book called The 4am Breakthrough, but considering that there are 201 exercises in The 3am Epiphany, I suspect this book alone could keep a writer busy for a very long time.



Writing Life

This category was the most difficult one for me to limit my choices, but I have managed to trim down my selections to two books.  The first, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, is one of my favorite books ever.  This book gives a warm and honest view of the writing life as experienced by Lamott.   



 
Writing down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg is my other favorite in this category.  Though a little more didactic than Bird by Bird at times, this book guides writers through all aspects of their writing life.  Topics range from writing in restaurants to writing marathons to fighting tofu.

In the end, The Essentials may vary from one writer to another.  If I had to limit my writing library to five books, these would be the ones I would choose.  What books do you consider your Essentials?

Writing Through the Senses: Smell

Ah, the ever elusive sense of smell.  While this may be the most difficult of the senses for writers to incorporate in their work, it is no less important than the others.

Fun Fact: did you know that while receptors for all the other senses connect to the main part of the brain (the cortext), the olfactory receptors are different?  In fact, one part of the olfactory system connects via the amygdala, which is one of the parts of the brain that deals with memory.

My theory is that this is why smells hold such powerful, vivid memories for us.  Who can mistake the smell of birthday candles as they're being blown out.  Or what about that crisp smell the air gets right before a big snow?

Haven't you ever been somewhere and smelled something that transported you to a whole other time and place?  The other day I was walking down the street and something smelled dry and still, like airport air that has that musty travel smell to it.  In instantly got this pang of memory of a time when I was stranded in an airport in Brazil for an entire day, not knowing whether or not my flight would be allowed to leave.

The truth is, part of the reason why scents are so difficult for writers is that there are very few "smell words" in our vocabulary.  We have lots of words for sounds: loud, soft, brassy, whisper.  There are also plenty of words for touch (soft, smooth, rough) and taste (sweet, salty, bitter, sour).  And don't even get me started on sight; aside from a plethora of adjectives, we also have the vocabulary of colors at our disposal.

But for smell there's hardly any.  Instead, we'll use similes and metaphors to say "that smells like movie theater popcorn" or "that smell is suffocating."  The only smell word I can think of is "pungent" and even then, it can refer to taste as well as smell.  In fact, most words we use for smells have been appropriated from one of the other senses (like saying something smells sweet or sharp).

Because smells are linked so strongly to objects or places, it is no surprise that smell should be so closely tied to memory as well.  That's where this week's exercise comes in.

Writing Exercise: Scent of a Memory
Follow each of the steps and don't proceed to the next one until you have finished the current step.

1. Think of a scent you love.  Write it down (3 words or fewer).
2. Describe this scent.
3. Is there a place you associate with this scent?  What is the significance of this place?
4. Is there a person associated with this scent?  What is this person's relationship to you?
5. Why does this scent remind you of this person or place?
6. Write down a memory of this person/place.
7. Last question: what color is this scent?

Now write a short poem or prose piece about this scent and the memory it evokes.



Here ends our foray into Writing Through the Senses.  It's not to late too late to join the challenge so sign up by clicking on the above link and read all the Writing Through the Senses posts.  I'll be drawing the winner and announcing the results next week!

Writing Through the Senses: Taste (Part 2)

...and we're back.  Today we're still talking about taste but instead of using eating as a metaphor, we'll be focusing on having fun with words.

Taste Part 2: Playing With Our Food... I mean, Words

One of my favorite genres is parody.  I find it so much fun to read and a great challenge to write.  I'm sure you all know what parody is, but here's a quick definition.

parody: n.  An imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.  Parody mercilessly exposes the tricks of manner and thought of its victim and therefore cannot be written without a thorough appreciation of the work it ridicules.

An example of a poetic parody is Lewis Carroll's The Crocodile, which is a parody of Isaac Watts' How Doth the Little Busy Bee.  The Carroll poem appears in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, when Alice tries to recite the Watts poem but "The Crocodile" comes out instead.

Jack & Jill Writing Exercise:  Today the writing exercise involves "playing with our food" by writing parody.  Write a short scene or collection of scenes in which you recount the events of the nursery rhyme Jack & Jill in the style of a famous author.  After you've written your piece, you can check out a piece I wrote with this exercise by going here.

Writing Through the Senses: Taste (Part 1)

Hello everyone!  Today's topic is taste and we'll be adding some playfulness to our writing.  Because this is such a fun topic, I've decided to split it into two parts.  I'll post Part 1 now and Part 2 on Friday (because I have something else planned for tomorrow).

Taste Part 1: Food as Metaphor

First we'll start with a feast of words:
How to Eat a Poem by Eve Merriam
Eating Poetry by Mark Strand.

I love reading these poems back-to-back because while they are dramatically different, they both use eating as a metaphor for reading poetry.  The Merriam poem is very visual and almost literal in its description of eating poetry, while the Strand poem is a bit more abstract, but fascinating nonetheless.  In the latter, we see the contrast between the visceral relationship the speaker has with the poems and the librarian's reaction as she tries to maintain order.  I read this poem almost as a manifesto for enjoyment of poetry and not letting conventions and rules get in the way.

What do you think about these poems?  Did one of them speak to you more than the other?

Writing Exercise: Write a short piece (prose or poetry, either is fine) using one of the following titles:

1. How to Eat a _______________
2. Eating ____________________
3. Recipe for _________________

You can fill in the blank with anything you wish, though I encourage you to try using something that is not normally edible.  Have fun with this!

Writing Through the Senses: Touch

Hello again.  I hope you all had a good week.  Today we'll be talking about touch and how ordinary objects can become extraordinary when described through this sense.


First a poem by Wallace Stevens:  Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird

Isn't it lovely how such simple images can take an ordinary thing like a blackbird and make it into something so beautiful?  Which is your favorite of the thirteen?  Mine is:

XI

He rode over Connecticut
In a glass coach.
Once, a fear pierced him,
In that he mistook
The shadow of his equipage
For blackbirds.

Ordinary Objects Exercise:  Take an ordinary object from your desk (a pencil or pen, paper clip, eraser, etc.) and close your eyes.  Study it with your eyes closed, trying not to focus on what you know the object is, but on how the object feels.

After memorizing the object for a few minutes, set it aside and write a short paragraph or two describing the object but using only the things you memorized through your sense of touch.  You can use metaphors and similes but try not to use any of the other senses.  Note how the sense of touch transforms the object into something new and different.

ORACLE: A Writer's Toolbox

Lately I've had some impromptu teaching gigs and I've never been more thankful for my writer's toolbox (which I lovingly call the ORACLE).  The ORACLE contains tons of writing games and exercises and as you can see from the picture, it's already overflowing.  Even so, I can never seem to have enough writing exercises.  There's always room for more.

The ORACLE includes:

• Image file
• Kaleidescope
• Dice
• Postcards
• Writing Block Book (my own design)
• Mini plastic take-out container with random words in it
• Fairytale cards
• Paint chips
• Creative Whack Pack by Roger Von Oech
• Brain Book

The ORACLE Annex (AKA the bookshelf) stores additional items that don't fit in the ORACLE. 

These are:

• The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
• Faces by François and Jean Robert
• The 3 A.M. Epiphany and The 4 A.M. Breakthrough by Brian Kiteley
• Now Write! edited by Sherry Ellis

Searching through my writer's toolbox and scrounging around for good exercises got me thinking.  I began to wonder: what's in everybody's writer's toolbox?

Writing Through the Senses: Sight

 Welcome back everyone!  I hope you enjoyed last week's exercises.  Today we'll be talking about sight and how colors, shapes and everyday objects help spark a story.  Let's dive in, shall we?

Faces Exercise:   Below you'll see four objects that look like faces.  Choose one of the faces and create a human character that fits the personality of the picture.  Answer the following questions about your character.  (Remember, your character isn't the inanimate object in the picture; your character is a human who's personality is inspired by the image you selected below.)

Let's start with the basics...

• Is your character male or female?
• How old is your character?
• Where does your character live?
• What is your character's occupation?
• Who's in your character's family?
• Does your character have a pet?
• What's your character's favorite color?

 Next let's dig a little deeper...

• What's your character's greatest fear?
• Does your character have a secret?
• Who is your character's nemesis?
• What does your character want most in the world?  Why?

Finally, give your character a name.

Now that we have a character, let's put him/her in a situation.  Pick a number between 1 and 5.  Don't click on the number just yet.

The situation is as follows: your character is stuck in a place.  He/she isn't helplessly stuck (i.e. the character can leave if he/she so chooses) but something is keeping the character there.  What that something might be is completely up to you.

Remember that number you selected?  Click it now.  This is your place.

1
2
3
4
5

Write the scene that unfolds.  Use cues and details in the picture to bring the situation to life.  And don't forget to have fun!

Writing Through the Senses: Sound

Hello all and welcome to Writing Through the Senses!

We'll be talking about sound today and how it can inspire a story.  Let's start off with a short listening exercise. 

Listening Exercise:   Below you'll find a series of links to music.  Listen to the first 1-2 minutes of each piece (but don't watch the accompanying videos; let the music speak for itself.)  While you listen to each piece, note the imagery that comes to mind.  What mood does the music establish?  Which specific sounds inspire each given image?  If you like, post your thoughts in the comments (but don't read other people's posts until you've had a chance to listen to the music for yourself).

Copland
Ponchielli
Saint-Saens 1
Saint-Saens 2
Holst 1
Mussorgsky


Writing Exercise:  Now that we've warmed up our ears, choose one of the three pieces below and listen to it all the way through (approx. 8-10 min)  As you listen, make notes again about the mood of the piece and think about what sort of story might go with this music.  If this music were a soundtrack to a story, what would the story be?

Once you've listened all the way through, take 10-15minutes and write a scene or story inspired by the music.  If you need to listen to the piece again, feel free to do so but don't feel like you have to parallel the music exactly.  The music is only here to inspire the story and give you a starting point.

Beethoven
Holst 2
Dukas


Take-Home Message:  While some writers find it challenging to write and listen to music at the same time, music can be a great writing tool.

Suggestions for Future Listening:  These pieces of music all tell a story or convey a specific mood.  If you don't have them in your listening library, I highly recommend.

• Beethoven - 6th (pastoral) Symphony
• Saint-Saens - Carnival of the Animals
• Holst - The Planets
• Vivaldi - 4 Seasons

Yes, You can Play with These Matches

Looking over the last several reviews I've done, I realized that they are heavily weighted toward books about writing.  In part this is because I love reading about craft or reading authors' advice to new writers.  At the same time, since the semester is drawing to a close--and with the end of semester comes my thesis deadline--I haven't had nearly enough time to read fiction as I would like.  So today will be another writing book and with luck, by two weeks from now, I'll be done and ready to start reading for fun again.

This week's book is The Writer's Book of Matches by the staff at Fresh Boiled Peanuts.  This book is a collection of writing prompts that range from the normal to the absurd to the hilarious.  There are 1001 prompts so even if you did one each day, it would take you three years to get through the book.  At the end, the editors include a handy-dandy guide on how to reuse the prompts and keep them fresh.  Overall, this book has the essentials for a useful writing book.  There's plenty of variety and it's small so it's easy to carry when writing on the go.

An Ode to My Fellow Writers

Recipe for a Writers' Group

• 1 notebook
• 1 pen
• 5-6 fellow writers
• meeting space with good ambient noise level and coffee

Time required: 2 hrs.

Instructions:
     Begin with 10 minutes of catching up and group business.  Share your successes.  Give encouragement.  Mix in some writing exercises, maybe read a poem or two.  Discuss, then set aside.
     Separately, begin preparing the critique portion.  Always add positive feedback first, then constructive criticism.  Add a cup of supportive comments for every dash of the negative.  Then sprinkle in a pinch of suggestion and a teaspoon of creative problem-solving.
     Fold together with the original mixture.  Spread in a baking pan and let incubate for about a week.

Serves: 6-7 writers

To my fellow writing friends: your support and encouragement help me concoct my best literary feasts.  Thank you.