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I'm posting the results of another writing exercise. Like the last two I posted, I did this a while ago. The exercise was to write a paragraph while looking straight ahead at a fixed point. You were not supposed to turn your head or avert your eyes from that fixed point until you were done writing. It's interesting how being constrained like this influences your imagination. Here is what I ended up with:
I see a shadow move across the wall. A tall, thin shadow that creeps, inch by inch, from one side of the room to the other. I can't turn my head to see what is casting the shadow. In fact, I can't move at all. My limbs are heavy. My head weighs a hundred pounds.
Creepy enough? Leave a comment and let me know.
The point of the exercise was to write a short paragraph from three starting phrases. The phrases were:
I recall...
The product recall...
I recall...
I know, the last phrase is exactly the same as the first. Here's what I wrote:
I recall a time when dinosaurs ruled the earth. They were far more sophisticated than most people think. Their greatest joy in life was sitting down for afternoon tea and biscuits.
The product recall of Wooligan-Wazawams™ had everyone baffled. Most people had no idea what was wrong with them. Had they proved to be not wooly enough? Or were the wazawams out of hand? What if we're never really aware?
I recall writing a love letter. I took my time figuring out exactly what I wanted to say. Then, I carefully selected just the right words to use. I wrote it all very neatly on the nicest stationary I had. To this day, I can't recall who she was.
There you have it. Hope you enjoyed them. Have you found any writing exercises that have helped jump-start your writing?
He winked...
I blinked...
She batted her eyes...
He was always squinting...
And here's what I wrote:
He winked at me. I threw up a little in my mouth.
I blinked and nothing changed. I moved my hand in front of my face. At least, I think that's where I was moving them. There was nothing. I scrambled through the dark for the light, stubbing my tow. I flipped the switch. Nothing. I was blind. Or, the power had gone out during the night.
She batted her eyes. Was she trying to get my attention? I looked away. I heard her adjusting her pose on the sofa next to me. I found an incredibly fascinating spot on the wall to stare at. She cleared her throat. How long must I wait for my ride to be ready to leave?
He was always squinting. It was an irritating trait that made all of his students uncomfortable. I always felt he was looking a little too hard at me. It was the worst when he called on me to read in class. When I was finished I would just sink into my chair. I couldn't bare to look at him until he had diverted his attention to another student.
What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know. ^_^
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