My head gets overwhelmed at times with too much noise when I’m writing – when that happens, I know it’s time to put down my pen – or close my laptop – and go for a walk.
About a mile in, I’ll start to exercise my writer brain by playing my “Describe the Character” game. I’ve done this for as long as I can remember. What it does, is give you something else to focus on, while being a bit fun, easy – and if you’re lucky, you can actually develop the great beginnings of a character or scene out of the exercise. In my first book CANELA, this was how I figured out how to combine characters.
Here’s how to play: simply pick a random item in the area and then, without justifying or qualifying, describe it as thoroughly as possible. In this case, about a mile into my walk, I saw a shadowy figure approaching me…without staring too directly, I took in all that I could. Once I passed the person, I jotted down my thoughts in OneNote:
- Tall, black running tights, white stripes, three.
- Baseball cap, tight black shirt, pecs. Muscular.
- Runner. Walking. Hurt. Long legs. Strong arms.
- Smile, lots of teeth, white, capped. Bright blue eyes. Long lashes.
- Brown hair, white, corporate, executive, Tesla.
- Handsome, scruff, married, kids, forty-two.
- Friendly, smirk. Head nod. Kind. Neighborly.
- Deep. Fall. Cold. Confidence. Unafraid. Worthy.
- Swimmer. Parent. Having a good day anyway. Nice.
When I’m having a tough time writing I see it as an opportunity to change things up a bit. As I mentioned in a past post about writer’s block, I like to think of these moments as opportunities. It’s as if the universe is conspiring to have me try something else to get a different creative result. And I have to say, after doing this, I’m hardly ever disappointed. At the very least, it always gets rid of the noise.
I sometimes practice this at my desk as well. I can’t always just go for a walk, especially if it’s the dead of night, so in this case, there are other ways to exercise the writing jewels (my brain). I’ll close my eyes, take a breath and let it out and whatever lands in my eye-line when I open them, that’s what gets described. Here’s what I wrote in OneNote about an ink cartridge:
- Dirty. Complicated and expensive. Hate.
- White, black, a mess of sorts.
- Necessary. Important. Unavoidable, but useful.
- Clear. Colorful. Toxic. Technology – Techy. Easy, home use.
Another way to do this is to put on any random song and describe how you feel immediately after listening… In this case, I listened to Lizzo’s Good As Hell.
- Positive. Joyful with an attitude. Walking like a model. Freedom.
- Bopping. Swaying. Giggling. Laughing. Confident. Superior.
- Happy. Smiling. Advising. Powerful. Elegant. Class. Proper with a touch of street smarts.
- Beautiful. Fabulous. Building someone up. Feeling like you got more to do.
The point is, when you can, use tools available to exercise the creative juices. I know writers who use flash cards or just do free writing exercises. The more ways you can self-motivate your creativity and learn to “unstuck” yourself, the better! Now, with these three descriptive pieces of information, I can start writing a new scene or develop a character. At the very worst, I’ve had a little break and stopped the initial noise I had in my head. I can now get back to what I was working on. Win-win!
What tricks or tools do you use to keep yourself in that creative space?
As always, thanks for stopping by!
Carmen
Great exercise, I’ll have to try it! Also, that Lizzo song is amazing!
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Awesome! And yaaas…. that Lizzo song is GREAT! I love that everyone jams to it! So much fun.
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Lizzo is always a great, positive music artist. Can’t wait to see what she does next. 🙂
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Picking random photos from my files… I have a lot on the computer… and use it to write a poem.
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Oh, that’s a great one! I’m going to try that one today. I’m not a poet, but I’m excited to try and get the creative juices flowing! Thank you!
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I use them for my midnighthaiku every day… it is surprising how much thought sometimes needs to go into seventeen syllables 😉
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This is my pain with poetry! I’m not good with the rules! But I will give it a try. Not sure I’m up for a Haiku, but… I’m excited. Hugs. And thank you! I love this idea.
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Free verse has no rules… and I tend to break them anyway 😉
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Thankfully! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
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🙂
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Oooo, this sounds fun. I love little games like this. When I was in New York this past summer, I used subway transit time to find character inspiration, and hopefully the people I was jotting notes about on my phone didn’t catch me staring lol.
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Love that! Oh, how I miss living on the East Coast some times because YES! The train/subway were the perfect place to observe and consider the possibilities. Oh, and if I remember correctly, so much happening in the trains in New York, I’m sure NO ONE CARED AT ALL that you were writing/staring! hahahaha! It’s just how NY subways roll…
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Sounds like a fun exercise 🙂 I find I’m always more creative when I’m walking or cycling. I think it must be the lack of distractions!
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Cool.
I meditate sometimes and things appear out of nowhere.
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Meditation is so hard for me. I am jealous of those who have mastered it. I do try. Weekly now at least, but it really is something I’m determined to understand. I do believe it is so helpful health-wise and now you’re telling me it’s helpful in this way too? Thank you – more reason for me to commit to the practice a bit. Sitting still and clearing my mind: #goals!
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I need some tricks like this to keep the creative flow going… so thank you 🙂
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You are so welcomed Simon! Hugs!
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Thank you! Hugs back ! 🙂
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That’s such a great exercise! I’m going to give it a try.
I do a lot of visualization exercises, which is really just a fancy term for day dreaming. I imagine my characters doing normal, day to day stuff. Making coffee: are they humming? Are they rushed? Are they clumsy? Getting to work: Was mode of transportation? Are they happy to be going to work, or dreading it? Listening to music: Are they dancing or moving to it? Are they in a bad mood and grumpily switch it off? That sort of thing. I find it gives me a lot to work with.
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I love that! “Fancy term for day dreaming” — That’s too funny! I’m a huge believer in day-dreaming! I love the questions you ask — I will think about those as well next time I’m creating — I think adding questions to my little exercise is leveling up. Thank you for that! Hugs.
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This is a great tip! I always think of writing as exercising my brain and this is a great workout. People watching is a fantastic way to get inspired. Thinking about sonder and how everyone has a life as complex as mine helps me work on my empathy… which is what writing a story is all about in my opinion.
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Elliot, I love that! What a great angle to connect to empathy. That’s brilliant. Thank you for that!
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Interesting. I people watch but never conisder doing this. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
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Happy to share — hope it proves even more interesting next time you’re out and about people watching! So. Much. Fun!
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Interesting thoughts!
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