Each week for the Writers’ group that meets on campus I will have a mission or challenge. For those of you who can’t make it to the meetings you can participate with us on here. (As well as by participating though posting your poems and short stories.)
Writers’ Group Mission this Week
“For godsake, keep your eyes open. Notice what’s going on around you.”
William Burroughs
Get a journal or notebook to record observations and thoughts:
“Writing is all about learning to see, hear, smell, taste and touch more accurately than most people. (Ezra Pound called writers “the antennae of the species.”) It’s all about ferreting out the significant detail that makes a place a place, a person a person, a car a car.”
Activities to get you observing and writing (choose one and post it before next Thursday):
1. Go to a cafe or diner (or somewhere on campus with a lot of people like the Corum or cafeteria) and practice short, medium and long descriptions of people. Describe one of the workers and one of the patrons.
2. Practice seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling as you go to your classes. When you get back write down everything you can remember – setting, dialogue, appearance of people, everything.
3. Automatic Writing – put on some music that fits your mood (the fewer the words the better) and get out your journal or a notebook. Let your mind be as passive and receptive as possible. Forget your genius, talents, as well as your competitive nature and just write. Write quickly without any chosen subjects, quickly enough not to dwell. Don’t read over what you are writing. Just write. (This on you do not have to share.)
