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.

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?

 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?

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?

• 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!

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