Writing exercise 1 - a valued object
This writing exercise comes in three stages and may lead on to a longer piece of writing. You can write in any form you like (poem, story, script etc.)
Stage 1:
Think of a small object that you particularly value. Imagine holding it in your hands with your eyes closed. What do you notice about it? Think about how it feels. Does it have a particular smell - or even a taste or sound associated with it. Write down all the words you can think of that express this. Finally - and only after you have explored all the other senses, consider what the object looks like and any special associations it has for you (e.g. a memory, a gift, the place where you first saw it).
Stage 2:
Think of a place you don’t know very well or where you feel just slightly uneasy. Imagine being there and turning round in a circle, taking in every detail. Once again start with sensations other than sight - how do your feet feel? what is the air like? what can you smell? what can you taste in your mouth? Write down as much as you can about this.
Stage 3:
Now imagine the place again. Instead of you being there, the object is there. Does this change your sense of the place? How do you think your object got there? Will someone take it away - and how? why? What happens next?
Use this stage to create a longer piece of writing in the form of your choice.
When you have finished writing, read what you have written aloud - then edit it until you are reasonably happy with it (it doesn’t have to be perfect).
Stage 1:
Think of a small object that you particularly value. Imagine holding it in your hands with your eyes closed. What do you notice about it? Think about how it feels. Does it have a particular smell - or even a taste or sound associated with it. Write down all the words you can think of that express this. Finally - and only after you have explored all the other senses, consider what the object looks like and any special associations it has for you (e.g. a memory, a gift, the place where you first saw it).
Stage 2:
Think of a place you don’t know very well or where you feel just slightly uneasy. Imagine being there and turning round in a circle, taking in every detail. Once again start with sensations other than sight - how do your feet feel? what is the air like? what can you smell? what can you taste in your mouth? Write down as much as you can about this.
Stage 3:
Now imagine the place again. Instead of you being there, the object is there. Does this change your sense of the place? How do you think your object got there? Will someone take it away - and how? why? What happens next?
Use this stage to create a longer piece of writing in the form of your choice.
When you have finished writing, read what you have written aloud - then edit it until you are reasonably happy with it (it doesn’t have to be perfect).
Comments
Dean put his hand against the cool, damp wall of the canals. He smelt the stench of the filthy water and acknowledged that despite the ugliness of the space everything was calm. Occasionally a cyclist would zip by but other than that…he was utterly alone.
He saw the shine of something in the distance and stumbled over to it. He picked up a watch with a faux pink leather strap and analogue face. He slipped it into his parka coat pocket and ventured home.
Jenna was standing at the kitchen sink with hunched shoulders and a stiff posture.
“Happy anniversary,” he said, his voice shaking a little. She turned to him, biting her lower lip. Then she rushed to him and allowed him to wrap his arms around her. He handed her the watch then.
She attempted to put it around her wrist. The strap was broken. She looked at the face, it wasn’t ticking. She shoved it into his hand and returned to the sink.
“Sofa tonight,” she said, as she dipped her hands into the soapy water.