Word Painting

Our gathering on Thursday was a large group. We did a free write on the prompt "Family Reunion." After a big sigh, exercise this took many of us in unexpected rooms deep in our memories. Then we tried something new to our group - a descriptive writing exercise. This really stretched some of us but the results were awesome! The two writing prompt options were, "describe a time you got in trouble as a child" OR "on a sunny spring day all to yourself, describe how you would spend your time." Not surprising, most of us wrote about a time we got in trouble (because examples are plentiful!) Recalling a memory is a great place to begin painting pictures with words. Some of the best pieces of work were from those who were most reluctant to share what they wrote. It was amazing stuff! Some of us wrote humorously about a childhood incident, others were full of heartache and emotion. Hearing each others stories displayed different styles of writing which, in its self, teaches us that we each have our very own voice. I believe we'll be doing more descriptive writing!

As more practice on composing word pictures, try thinking of another time you got in trouble as a kid or teen. I know each of us have been trouble more than one time in our adolescence! As you write, you see an scene in your memory. Paint that scene so your readers can see what you see. Be creative! Try to stay away from using adjective after adjective after adjective such as, "the huge, bright, gigantic, red-hot sun shined down on us." Instead maybe something more picturesque like this:"The blazing mid August sun hung low in the evening sky. Its lingering rays warmed our skin."

Maybe instead of saying, "I walked across the grass." ~ describe what shade of green the grass was, how it felt underfoot, were you meandering across the grass or booking to get somewhere fast!?

Have fun! Be a word smith! Write and re-write until you are happy with the sentence. This practice really stretches us and our vocabulary. Pull out your Thesaurus or use one of the online varieties. Your writing will become full, rich and a bit more interesting. Enjoy expressing your voice...

"Word Painting" is a great book to check out on this subject. You can find a reference to it on the left sidebar on this web site.