February is celebrated as Black History Month. I am old enough to remember when Carter G. Woodson instituted Negro History Week to inspire youth to understand the accomplishments and achievements of members of our race that had been overlooked by traditional historians. Today, there is still controvrsy about this annual observation. Some individuals think BHM is a superfluous concept while others alternately joke or complain that we have the shortest month of the calendar year. I believe that each cultural group needs to make sure that their stories and heroes and values are not lost in the "melting pot" philosophy. As a writer, I am particularly drawn to authors such as Audre Lorde, Pat Parker, Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston, and James Baldwin for inspiration and motivation. However, I also am proud of the millions of African-Americans from Mae Jemison to George Washinton Carver to Fannie Lou Hamer to Benjamin Banneker whose efforts have earned them an entry into the annals of history.
This week in your writing efforts focus on the individuals in your life that have had a significant impact on your universe. Whether that be a relative that people in your family celebrated or a teacher whose energy propelled you forward in your own career, write about them so their stories have the chance to live on. I am simultaneously amused and impressed to recognize that my youth has become the historical era studied by my grandchildren in school. That knowledge drives me to write my memories down while I still can. I encourage you to write your stories, this month and every day.
Exercises
External Exercises
(see previous posts for detailed instructions)
1. Observation Exercise
2. Reading Report
3. Writing Journal
4. Sensory Details Exercise
Weekly Exercises February 21, 2010
1. Start the page with "Everyone in my family used to talk about...." and keep going.
2. Think about a figure from history that you would consider a role model. Write about the qualities that person possessed that inspire you.
3. You have been hired to design a museum. What would be the primary focus of it and what would you include as artifacts for the core exhibits.
4. Which day of the calendar year has the most significance to you and why?
There is no wrong way to do it: just WRITE!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
WordPlay! WriteNet Week 5
Okay, I admit it. I am a sports junkie, especially basketball and football. So I have been in seventh heaven, what with the Super Bowl last weekend and the NBA All-Star Game this weekend. Personally, it would be fine with me if all the overtures to the actual game, like H.O.R.S.E. and the Dunk Challenge and Three Point Shooting Contest and the Skills Challenge and the Rookie -Sophomore game, were eliminated. However, all the sponsors that pay for those events would be missed.
Held in the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington, Texas, more than 100,000 fans watched the game itself along with tremendous entertainment by The Canadian Tenors, Carrie Underwood, Usher, Alicia Keys and Shakira (much better than the Super Bowl lineup, IMHO). For all of you who just yawn at the thought of sports, I apologize but this just illustrates one of the prime directives of writing: write what you care about! Even if your "cup of tea" is tatting Belgian lace, there is someone out there who shares your interest.
SO here are this week's writing exercises.
External Exercises
(see Week 1 for details)
1. Observation Exercise
2. Reading Report
3. Writing Journal
4. (NEW!) Sensory Details Exercise
Think of some activity that you really enjoy. First, imagine that you have a photograph of that event. Describe everything that you can SEE in the picture. Next, imagine that you heard a radio program of the event. Write down everything that you HEAR during the show. Next, write about every SMELL and TASTE associated with this activity. Then, write about all the tactile sensations (TOUCH) from the event. Also, write about any emotions which have been aroused by this event. Finally, write a piece which incorporates all the information you have gathered from doing this exercise.
Weekly Exercises February 15, 2010
1. Start the page with "When I was seventeen..." and keep writing.
2. Write about a teacher that made you really want to go to his/her class.
3. If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would you go?
4. If you could only keep one item from all of your possessions, what would it be?
There is no wrong way to do it: just write!
Held in the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington, Texas, more than 100,000 fans watched the game itself along with tremendous entertainment by The Canadian Tenors, Carrie Underwood, Usher, Alicia Keys and Shakira (much better than the Super Bowl lineup, IMHO). For all of you who just yawn at the thought of sports, I apologize but this just illustrates one of the prime directives of writing: write what you care about! Even if your "cup of tea" is tatting Belgian lace, there is someone out there who shares your interest.
SO here are this week's writing exercises.
External Exercises
(see Week 1 for details)
1. Observation Exercise
2. Reading Report
3. Writing Journal
4. (NEW!) Sensory Details Exercise
Think of some activity that you really enjoy. First, imagine that you have a photograph of that event. Describe everything that you can SEE in the picture. Next, imagine that you heard a radio program of the event. Write down everything that you HEAR during the show. Next, write about every SMELL and TASTE associated with this activity. Then, write about all the tactile sensations (TOUCH) from the event. Also, write about any emotions which have been aroused by this event. Finally, write a piece which incorporates all the information you have gathered from doing this exercise.
Weekly Exercises February 15, 2010
1. Start the page with "When I was seventeen..." and keep writing.
2. Write about a teacher that made you really want to go to his/her class.
3. If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would you go?
4. If you could only keep one item from all of your possessions, what would it be?
There is no wrong way to do it: just write!
Monday, February 08, 2010
WordPlay! WriteNet Week 4
According to news stories, Drew Brees, quarterback for the Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints, woke up and asked his wife, "Did it really happen?" For him, realization of a lifelong fantasy seemed like a dream. For writers, turning our fantasies into real stories is not only a possibility but a definite intention. As I watched the Super Bowl yesterday, there were certain parallels I observed between the game of football and the craft of writing.
First and Ten
Each series of plays begins with a first down. The team has four chances to advance the ball ten yards before relinquishing the field to the other team. Similarly, a writer starts witha ten minute writing exercise or prompt to move the writing into gear.
Pass Play vs. Running Play
The quaterback chooses between passing the ball (typically in an effort to gain a big chunk of yardage or a running play, often used to grind out shorter yardage. In the same way, a writer can use an exercise for short yardage to stimulate the imagination or a more extended effort, such as an essay or short story.
Exercises
External Exercises
(see week 1 for details)
1. Observation Exercise
2. Reading Report
3. Writing Journal
Writing Exercises February 8, 2010
1. "Life is like a box of chocolates." Start with this line and keep writing.
2. Think about a weather phenomenon (e.g. hurricane, tornado, blizzard, windstorm, tsunami, etc.). Now describe your emotional state as the event that came to mind.
3. Open a telephone book and randomly select a name. Now write a story about an incident in that person's life.
4. It is four a.m. You are awakened by the ringing telephone. Write about what happens next.
As always, these prompts are merely suggestions to jumpstart your imagination when other ideas are not vigorously trying to make their way onto the blank page. Feel free to bypass these ideas if there are others already working their way out of your imagination. Remember to keep your hand moving in order to bypass the inner critic. Have fun and chase those ideas to the end zone, like a running back sprinting away from his defensive counterpart and making the touchdown. Enjoy the exhilaration of writing your ideas and tickling your imagination.
There is no wrong way to do it: just WRITE!
First and Ten
Each series of plays begins with a first down. The team has four chances to advance the ball ten yards before relinquishing the field to the other team. Similarly, a writer starts witha ten minute writing exercise or prompt to move the writing into gear.
Pass Play vs. Running Play
The quaterback chooses between passing the ball (typically in an effort to gain a big chunk of yardage or a running play, often used to grind out shorter yardage. In the same way, a writer can use an exercise for short yardage to stimulate the imagination or a more extended effort, such as an essay or short story.
Exercises
External Exercises
(see week 1 for details)
1. Observation Exercise
2. Reading Report
3. Writing Journal
Writing Exercises February 8, 2010
1. "Life is like a box of chocolates." Start with this line and keep writing.
2. Think about a weather phenomenon (e.g. hurricane, tornado, blizzard, windstorm, tsunami, etc.). Now describe your emotional state as the event that came to mind.
3. Open a telephone book and randomly select a name. Now write a story about an incident in that person's life.
4. It is four a.m. You are awakened by the ringing telephone. Write about what happens next.
As always, these prompts are merely suggestions to jumpstart your imagination when other ideas are not vigorously trying to make their way onto the blank page. Feel free to bypass these ideas if there are others already working their way out of your imagination. Remember to keep your hand moving in order to bypass the inner critic. Have fun and chase those ideas to the end zone, like a running back sprinting away from his defensive counterpart and making the touchdown. Enjoy the exhilaration of writing your ideas and tickling your imagination.
There is no wrong way to do it: just WRITE!
Monday, February 01, 2010
WordPlay! WriteNet Week 3
It is award season again. From last night's Grammy awards to the announcement by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tomorrow morning of the contenders for this year's coveted Oscar statuettes, prizes are being given in many different media to deserving recipients in the entertainment arts. Writing is a core element of artistic creations, from song lyrics to screenplays to dramas to novels (which are often turned into scripts). To acknowledge the central role that writing plays in so many different media, the exercises for this week will explore the connection between writing and other arts,
Exercises
External Exercises:
(see Week 1 for details)
1. Observation Exercise
2. Reading Report
3. Writing Journal
Weekly Exercises February 1, 2010
1. Start with a line from a song and keep writing, e.g. "I gotta feeling...."
2. Make yourself a character in your favorite recent movie and write what happens in your first scene.
3. If you were a painter, describe the first canvas you would complete.
4. You get home, tired and drained from a grueling day, and smell a pie baking in your oven. Keep writing.
As always, feel free to write about whatever is pushing itself onto the blank page. Just keep your hand moving for the allotted time, without concern for spelling, grammar, making sense or any other critical thoughts until after the writing time is finished (a minimum of ten minutes per day).
There is no wrong way to do it: just write!
Exercises
External Exercises:
(see Week 1 for details)
1. Observation Exercise
2. Reading Report
3. Writing Journal
Weekly Exercises February 1, 2010
1. Start with a line from a song and keep writing, e.g. "I gotta feeling...."
2. Make yourself a character in your favorite recent movie and write what happens in your first scene.
3. If you were a painter, describe the first canvas you would complete.
4. You get home, tired and drained from a grueling day, and smell a pie baking in your oven. Keep writing.
As always, feel free to write about whatever is pushing itself onto the blank page. Just keep your hand moving for the allotted time, without concern for spelling, grammar, making sense or any other critical thoughts until after the writing time is finished (a minimum of ten minutes per day).
There is no wrong way to do it: just write!
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