Today I continue with day 9 of a 14 day challenge found in “Songwriting Without Boundaries” by Pat Pattison
Day 9
“WHEN” WRITING
Welcome to “when” writing. It will give you practice locating your characters and the objects around them at various times.
“When” can be seasonal—“across the morning sky, all the birds are leaving.” It can be a time of day—“midnight at the oasis,” or even special occasion: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” Play around with it.
Setting a time of day or year adds a new dimension to your writing. There’s a vast difference between the following three versions:
I looked at her, she looked back at me…
A sunny morning, I looked at her, she looked back at me…
A cold winter, I looked at her, she looked back at me…
Our skin wrinkled with age, I looked at her, she looked back at me…
There’s lots of stimulation available in “when,” as you’ll see. Watch the ideas tumble out.
Set a timer and respond to the prompts for exactly the time allotted. Stop IMMEDIATELY when the timer goes off.
Sight Sound Taste Touch Smell Body Motion
5 minutes: Summer Rainstorm
Lighting crashes as the thunder roars, the night sky illuminated. The trailer shakes as she runs inside and closes the door behind her with too much force. She just beat the raging storm about to unleash its fury upon the world. Hair dampened by the light mist starting to fall, as she reaches for a towel, lighting crashes close, very close. Her heart stops and she peers through the window at the tree starting to be engulfed in flames. Recognition of the immediate danger makes its way into her consciousness. She forces herself to move, to call the emergency line before the fires spreads to the surrounding trees and her house. The smell of burning foliage assaults her senses as she opens the door to get a clearer look at the carnage happening right before her eyes. She can almost make out the critters of the woods as the
10 minutes: Graduation
It’s hot and muggy as I make my way through the field where they decided it would be best to have our graduation ceremony. The crowds of kids, all separated, chatting with their friends, eager to graduate and take on their new roles in life. The sweat is trickling down my spine creating a salty river than runs from my neck to my lower back. Taking sweet precious water reserves from my body leaving my mouth dry and desperate for moisture, I rub my tongue around in an attempt to generate some saliva. Whoever thought this was a good idea, didn’t have to wear this cap and gown in the sweltering “spring” weather in heart of the Florida swamp. I make my way through the throngs of my classmates, my smiles returned by those who care to take notice of my presence. I feel a sense of loss, a new journey awaits me and I am oh so eager to start, to flee from this land of silly child games and drama. I will miss it too, taking a scholarship for a school three states away is going to sadden me when I leave. I will miss the call of the cicadas in the spring, I will miss the damp moisture that pools in the air, most of all I will miss my family and friends. I reach my best friend and I fight back of wave of sadness, she pulls my into a loving embrace and I can see the tears welling up in her eyes. I hold her back, tight, as I will see very little of her after the summer and I move so far away. I never thought I would be so sad to be done with a place that brought me so little joy. As the time nears, we all dissipate and take our assigned seats, in the middle of the field surrounded by our loved ones. I look out into the crowd and spot my parents. Love swells in my heart and I fight a tear from escaping my already tired eyes.
90 Seconds: Wedding Rehearsal Dinner
Hands shaking
Feet quaking
Am I ready
For this undertaking
Candles lit
Checks are writ
Speeches are
Laced with wit
Passing time
Love sublime
This our day
Our moment in time
If you want to join along in the challenge please read the rules for the day posted at the top of the blog. Also, if you write along, please post me a link to your post in the comments section. Good luck on the challenge. I’m looking forward to seeing this through until the end!
Thank you for visiting.
Have an awesome day and an awesome life. One love.
-Michelle
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