Weekly Writing Exercise, Week 2
Yeah, here's another one :o To note: You don't have to think too hard on answering these. It's supposed to be a quick exercise to make you think, and stretch your creative muscles a little bit. Shouldn't take you too long to flesh a quick idea out.
Should I offer banners or something for participants? I don't want to make this into a contest, but ... ionno. Let's see how this week goes.
Anyway, does anyone else ever have trouble fleshing out certain characters? Like perhaps you have a certain idea in you head of how he should go, but it just doesn't work out on paper?
Lilith Saintcrow has a very interesting article that can help writers overcome roadblocks like these-- namely, observation, and how to do this in real life "un-obnoxiously."
We want to watch people interact in real life situations, because this is how we can make our storybook characters all the more real. But a lot of us live in a society where a wrong look can be easily misinterpreted, and it's polite to keep to oneself. So how can we watch people without being obnoxious?
I get a lot of my inspiration from the people around me. When I'm smart, I'll remember to write stuff down-- a certain quote from a friend, an event, a particular reaction I've observed. Unfortunately, I'm also an internet h0r and don't do well in most social situations. I wouldn't call myself socially retarded, but I have definite challenges.
Lilith mentions a lot of good points: things like where to go (malls, restaurants, public places), what to do (sit out of the way, have something in your hands, look occupied), what not to do (don't stare, don't be in the way)... a lot of this stuff may seem like no-brainer advice but really, its hard to find a place to get comfortable and be able to just sit and listen for awhile. But it's a good idea to do so when you the time-- being able to silently observe basic human interaction is, I think, a very important part of being able to write about it.
Anyway, if you have time, I'd recommend reading this, if only to get a few ideas :o
Anyway,
THE PROMPT: I've always been able to see them
1) Keep it under 300 word plzkthx
2) Title your entries "OPEN" or "Positive Only"
3) Have fun-- no srsly, have some fun, do whatever you want with it :o
Should I offer banners or something for participants? I don't want to make this into a contest, but ... ionno. Let's see how this week goes.
Anyway, does anyone else ever have trouble fleshing out certain characters? Like perhaps you have a certain idea in you head of how he should go, but it just doesn't work out on paper?
Lilith Saintcrow has a very interesting article that can help writers overcome roadblocks like these-- namely, observation, and how to do this in real life "un-obnoxiously."
We want to watch people interact in real life situations, because this is how we can make our storybook characters all the more real. But a lot of us live in a society where a wrong look can be easily misinterpreted, and it's polite to keep to oneself. So how can we watch people without being obnoxious?
I get a lot of my inspiration from the people around me. When I'm smart, I'll remember to write stuff down-- a certain quote from a friend, an event, a particular reaction I've observed. Unfortunately, I'm also an internet h0r and don't do well in most social situations. I wouldn't call myself socially retarded, but I have definite challenges.
Lilith mentions a lot of good points: things like where to go (malls, restaurants, public places), what to do (sit out of the way, have something in your hands, look occupied), what not to do (don't stare, don't be in the way)... a lot of this stuff may seem like no-brainer advice but really, its hard to find a place to get comfortable and be able to just sit and listen for awhile. But it's a good idea to do so when you the time-- being able to silently observe basic human interaction is, I think, a very important part of being able to write about it.
Anyway, if you have time, I'd recommend reading this, if only to get a few ideas :o
Anyway,
THE PROMPT: I've always been able to see them
1) Keep it under 300 word plzkthx
2) Title your entries "OPEN" or "Positive Only"
3) Have fun-- no srsly, have some fun, do whatever you want with it :o