Young Writers Society

Allright, I got this exercise out of a book. This exercise is to get you to focus on your writing, to get into the Flow. I like to do it every day before I write to whip myself into shape for my writing.

Okay. First you need paper, a pencil, and a timer. RULES: It must be unlined paper (no excuses), it must be a pencil (pens slide too fast) and you must have a timer that makes aboslutely no noise until the end, absolutely silent while you're working, so as not to distract you. Set your timer for three mintues. Now I want you to write at the top of your page, the date, like this: Sunday, May 7, 2006. Number the page from one to ten. Make a list of thing you saw yesterday, starting with the morning and ending at the evening. Keep your hand moving. If you get stuck, draw slow circles. You want to end up at exactly the number ten at exactly the end of three minutes. Don't write a novel at each item, just a few anchoring words to capture the image are all you need to put down.

Here's mine that I did on Easter Sunday:

Easter Sunday, 2006

(1) Cat's dark shape low to the floor, hunting for treats I dropped
(2) Purple therma-silk shampoo bottle in shower
(3) Yellow, blue, golden flowers on my dress
(4) Silvery clasp on my necklace
(5) Painting in the church, Virgin Mary, restored and too bright
(6) Two rows up in church, an old man in a suit
(7) One of the altar boys w/ the minyana basket wiping his face
(8- Tree outside my old school in bloom
(9) Teddy bears on a blouse in my closet, at home to change my clothes
(10) Picture in writing book, fragments of words on paper

Like that. Three minutes. One list.
Now, set your timer for ten minutes. Look over your list. Let one item pick you, or, if nothing leaps out, do number three. Number three is magic and always works.

Take out a fresh sheet of unlined paper and write the item you chose at the top. For ten mintues write whatever comes to mind about that part of the day, that object, whatever. Write very slowly with pencil and write all in caps. Anything and all things that come to mind when you read that item, write very simply and slowly in block letters.

Here's mine for the list above:
(7) One of the altar boys w/ the minyana basket wiping his face

WE'RE IN CHURCH AND THE PRIEST ASKS US TO COME UP IN TWO LINES TO RECIEVE OIL AND TO KISS A HOLY ICON DISH OVER THE PASKA. PEOPLE ARE TALKING AS THEY FLIE OUT OF THE PEWS AND THE ALATAR BOYS ASSEMBLE AT THE ALTAR STEPS, HOLDING THE BASKETS. AT THE OIL, FATHER GIVES ME THE CROSS TO KISS AND SAYS MY NAME, SMILING. GOING BY I TAKE SOME MINYANA AND THANK THE ALTAR BOY, BUT HE'S YOUNGER THAN ME AND SHY AND HE DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING. WALK BY AND TOSS TWO OF DAD'S QUARTERS INTO THE DONATION BASKET, ALTAR BOY WITH BLACK-HAIRED BOWL CUT, SHORT, AND I REMEMBER BEFORE WE WALKED UP FOR COMMUNION HE LIFTED HIS HAND TO SCRATCH HIS FACE, ONLY HE BROUGHT THE GOLDEN, GILDED OUTER-ROBE UP WITH IT, MOMENTARILY EXPOSING THE LONG BLACK CASSOCK UNDERNEATH, LIKE AN EXCUSE TO FEEL THE SATIN AGAINST HIS FACE IN FRONT OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE, WHO COULDN'T SEE. MY HANDS ARE SWEATY AS I DROP THE COINS IN, I'VE BEEN HOLDING THEM FOR SO LONG. MY BROTHER'S STANDING AT THE CORNER WAITING, SMILING AT SOMETHING LIKE IT'S ALL ONE BIG JOKE.

It doesn't have to be good. You don't even have to like what you've written. But you might be surprised at what comes up. And it will definitely help you to focus on your writing before you start every day. Best of luck!

It's a good exercise, DD. ^_^ I've done something similar myself...though I'm not sure if consciously. I journal; take images, thoughts from the day and wind it into something. Timing tends to kill me (not that it ought to all). Any timer - soundless or no - rings in my head that there's time - and I think of that rather than what I'm doing.

Do you really write in CAPITALS? With a pencil? I suppose going slowly it would be possible.

Yup. In capitals. With a pencil. Very slowly. I tried it once with my nondominant hand, but then it just got ridiculously hard. ^_^

Well, I couldn't do the all caps thing - doesn't work with my synesthesia. I skipped a lot of your example because of that, sorry. And I do the same thing with timers, Imp. So I may have to create my own version... but this is a very good writing exercise. Thanks for sharing!

Sounds good. I may try it sometime!

It sounds like an interesting thing to do, and I'll probably try it sometime.

I can't deal with the timers either so I'd have to skip that part. It stresses me out and I keep thinking about the time, and if I'll be able to finish what I have to say in time.

It looks like a great exercise. I'm not sure why so many aspects are necessary. I suppose I'll just have to try it and find out.

That's a really good idea. I'll have to try it sometimes.

But I'm not too good with timers. I can't seem to concentraite and all my ideas just go flying out the window!

Great idea though!

~ Roxy ~

I hope to try this at some point, though it'll probably end up being this weekend or later, after midterms. *grumble grumble*

Why didn't I notice this before? This is a good exercise DD, I'll be trying it out later today, got a few interesting things to write about yesterday.

Really neat idea, my fingers are now itching to try it out, but I am gonna wait till tomorow because my whole familly is asleep and I have no idea where the timer is... geee, I hope we actually have a timer... and looking for it would likely result in a very cranky bunch of people tromping down the stairs...

-Gen

I got yelled at for writing in pencil all caps once... I'm scarred for life now. O_o

I'll have to try that monday, when I have off school and won't be bothered by my dad and brother like I am on the weekends. It sounds really interesting.