Don't Look; See
We are writers and many of us are poets as well. We tend to see things differently. We don't just see a rose. We see an explosion of red velvet which seeks admiration from solar fingers of warmth. We see the imagery or the description of the item rather than just the item. We see the story and not just a thing.
This is good. This is very good. This means that we can get our ideas (yesterday's topic) from anything. We can make what we see come alive for others. Let's talk about a knotty tree for a moment. One person looks at the tree and just sees twisted bark and a disfigured tree. We look and we can make out a face in that tree. That face gives the tree a personality and possibly a beginning as well. Let's imagine this tree captured a man many years ago and refused to let him go. The face we see is that man trying to break his way through the bark.
Such a beginning could give this tree an angry personality. Maybe over the years, this tree has snatched up many people and trapped them inside its bark. Shall we check the tree for other knots? Probably not, but you get the idea. We can do this type of flash fiction about anything we see.
As a child, I used to watch clouds as they passed overhead. Many of these clouds resembled animals and faces. Children have such wonderful imaginations. This makes it possible for monster to live in the closet or under the bed. These monsters make great stories. As a matter of fact, the monsters in the closet made a fabulous movie. Children create imaginary friends when there are no other children to play with. They give personalities to their toys and dolls and can amuse themselves for hours at a time. We can do this too. I'm not suggesting that we play with toys. I'm suggesting that we apply our imagination to what we see.
So, the next time you're out and about, don't just look at everything around you, actually take the time to see it. Ask yourself how you would describe what you experience. Feel it, smell it, taste it and then come back to us and write it all down for us. Write it so that we can see, feel, smell, and taste what you did. After all, it only takes is one such spark to ignite into a major fire. If we can ignite a triple-alarm fire, it is all the better.
This is good. This is very good. This means that we can get our ideas (yesterday's topic) from anything. We can make what we see come alive for others. Let's talk about a knotty tree for a moment. One person looks at the tree and just sees twisted bark and a disfigured tree. We look and we can make out a face in that tree. That face gives the tree a personality and possibly a beginning as well. Let's imagine this tree captured a man many years ago and refused to let him go. The face we see is that man trying to break his way through the bark.
Such a beginning could give this tree an angry personality. Maybe over the years, this tree has snatched up many people and trapped them inside its bark. Shall we check the tree for other knots? Probably not, but you get the idea. We can do this type of flash fiction about anything we see.
As a child, I used to watch clouds as they passed overhead. Many of these clouds resembled animals and faces. Children have such wonderful imaginations. This makes it possible for monster to live in the closet or under the bed. These monsters make great stories. As a matter of fact, the monsters in the closet made a fabulous movie. Children create imaginary friends when there are no other children to play with. They give personalities to their toys and dolls and can amuse themselves for hours at a time. We can do this too. I'm not suggesting that we play with toys. I'm suggesting that we apply our imagination to what we see.
So, the next time you're out and about, don't just look at everything around you, actually take the time to see it. Ask yourself how you would describe what you experience. Feel it, smell it, taste it and then come back to us and write it all down for us. Write it so that we can see, feel, smell, and taste what you did. After all, it only takes is one such spark to ignite into a major fire. If we can ignite a triple-alarm fire, it is all the better.
posted by Vickie at 10:30 PM
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