Tag: Using the senses

Pizza Time

On By Terry ConnellyIn prompt, Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

            Lots of kids like pizza. Some want only cheese on theirs, while others want as much meat as possible. Some like pineapple while others want only black olives.

            No matter the differences, saying “Let’s order pizza,” generally is greeted by Hurrahs and cheers.

            Nowadays there are many options in terms of preparation. Do you want thick crust, pan pizza or gluten free? Sauce or no sauce? Or maybe a pesto sauce. How about cheese buried inside the outer edge of the crust or extra cheese on top? Chicken or pepperoni?

            When did you first eat pizza? How old were you and where was it? Did your parent make the pizza or did you go to a restaurant? Did you get an individual pizza or one for the family to share?

            Were there fights over what kind of pizza to order or who got the last piece?

            Your task is to write a story in which pizza plays an important role. It can be a sweet remembrance or a story fraught with tension and loud arguing.

            Your protagonist can be a child or an adult. She can like or hate pizza. She can throw temper tantrums if she doesn’t get her way or feel heard.

            Have fun with this one.

Seasonal Effects

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Close your eyes and picture a typical spring day where you live. What is the weather like? How do you feel? What things do you see, feel, touch? What foods do you typically eat? Where do you go only in the spring?

Write this down.

Move on to summer. What things do you only do in the summer? Record how you feel, think, what you see, taste, touch.

Do the same for autumn and winter.

Looking over your list, do you see a pattern?

Your task is to create a comparable list for your character. It makes no difference the genre of your writing. What matters is that your listings be accurate for the place and time of your work.

Once the list is complete, choose the season you feel most comfortable writing about. Place your character in the story with at least one other person. Turn on the action. Make sure to include those details that impact your character the most.

When you are finished, reread looking for sensory details. Make sure that you did not list them, but rather revealed them slowly, one at a time.

Have fun with this one.

Writing in First Person

On By Terry ConnellyIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Some authors find it easy to write in third person, but challenging to write in first.  Using “I” feels autobiographical, and if the topics discussed are controversial, there is a fear that someone will think the opinions are those of the writer.

But there is a plus to writing in first person: getting inside the head of the protagonist that cannot happen in third. We hear what the character is thinking, feel his emotions, see what she sees and so on. First person presents a biased view of the world, but sometimes the reader needs that perspective to understand the motivating factors behind what a character does.

For this exercise you are going to create a character similar to you in terms of age, gender, appearance and experience. You are going to place this character in a familiar scene. It could be inside your dwelling, your workplace, your gym. Using first person, you are going to tell a story that includes what that individual sees, hears, does.

Imagine, for example, a confrontation at the gym. Rules stipulate no cell phone usage and no music other than what is piped over the PA system. A smelly man using equipment near you is violating the rules. He has his phone amped up so that his choice of music is clearly heard by anyone within a few steps. And his music is offensive. It is filled with obscene words, insults certain ethnicities of which your character is one, and speaks of raping women. Of course we would see and hear all this through the filters of the protagonist. And then we see what the character does.

Your task is to create a character and scene and then tell the story using first person. Don’t edit as you write. Just get your thoughts down “on paper” and edit later.

Have fun with this one.