We each already know what we feel when we are sad, how comforting the baking cookies smell, and the frightening feeling of being out of control, and we can usually describe it to people in a few sentences with little effort if we really have to. But how easy is it to describe it in three words? Or even one?
Remember, today's internet reader is short on time. With information made easy, they want their info in small doses packed with knowledge. It is important to eliminate unnecessary, or filler words, from your sentences.
This exercise can be done anywhere with as little or much time as you have. Do it in the two minutes while waiting in line to scan your groceries, twenty minutes while waiting for your Doctor, or on your lunch hour. Every burst you can give it will help improve your writing skills immensely!
You can even do it as a boost when you're suffering writer's block.
Supplies
You only need the notepad on your phone or a small notebook or sheet of paper for your small bursts- like when waiting in line or for an appointment. Use a full-size paper for the time you set aside to develop this useful skill. Lined or unlined, that is totally up to you. I usually use lined.
Your favorite writing utensil.
Do not limit this activity by paper size. Sometimes my experience flows over onto several sheets of paper. Experiment! You never know what will spark your creativity and generate curiosity, and curiosity is the backbone of a writer.
Activity
Draw a circle and put your name in the center
Describe your five senses, six if you nourish the gift, with words. Write the words that describe each sense in the circle around your name.
Use color if you like! It helps your mind create and remember!
To increase your environmental awareness, place your words on the paper in relation to the actual direction. For instance, I am sitting on my bed in the evening at the moment. It's rush hour, and I can hear cars scurrying home to my right, my lamp is on in front of me, and the radio is on lightly to my right. I would write my descriptive words for car sounds to the right in my circle, and for the music to my left. My sight description would be written toward the top of the circle.
Prompts
To help you expand your descriptive experience, use these prompts:
Describe the shadows. How do they fall? Do this at another time of day, and describe how the shadows are now. Notice the difference?
Describe the temperature around you, and the temp inside you.
How would you describe the quality of light?
When you are out- people. Describe their aura, what they appear to be feeling based upon how they are acting. For instance, the quiet man in the coffee shop staring off into space might be contemplating a holiday. The woman being mean to the cashier might be sad inside because her husband just announced divorce. Guess what they do for work. How do they smell? Describe their wishes or regrets. Why have they chosen to stand or sit where they are? Have fun with this one!
What is your cat feeling as she stares out the window with that expression?
Describe the trees, weeds, etc. Why are they where they are? What does the shrub by the busy road feel? What does the tree in the playground feel?
When you become comfortable describing environment and emotions, start to liken them to something else. This office cubicle feels like a hamster cage, and the boss is a mean kid. This grocery store at five pm feels like a rave after it's closed at 5 am.
Continue to rejuvenate this activity as you get comfortable to increase your awareness and descriptive powers.
More Prompts
Describe what your muscles are feeling.
Describe the emotions of your clothing.
How do you feel, really?
Describe your mood. Does it have a color? A flavor?
Listen to music and describe your emotions.
Be kind to yourself while you are learning and growing with this. This is not the easiest activity, however, it is an extremely important and effective one. Even if you are not a writer, this will expand your descriptive skills tenfold in a very short amount of time.
Anyone who needs to put what they see and intuit into words: managers, judges, police, speakers, childcare workers, teachers, and many more will benefit greatly from this exercise.
Try this activity a couple times and describe your feelings in the comments!
Enter Week 3 Photography Contest- Humor- for a chance to win $10 SBD!
Thank you for your support, I love you guys ♡
With Love, Positivity and Good Mojo Light,
May Your Days Be Always Happy and Bright!
Google, GPS, and the True (Almost) Horror Story
~
How to Buy a Car With Cryptocurrency
~
5 Journalist Tricks to Help You Create Epic Blog Posts
~
Proud to Be a Steemit Groupie- But With a Warning
~
What Should You Write About? 7 Tips to Help You Find Ideas for Your Blog
Black and White Photography
Interlude
Fiction
The Burn of the Badge
~
the last board
If you found this post after day 7 please consider upvoting a recent article ♡
This is a great writing activity! I'll definitely try doing this at random times throughout the day. Having great descriptive skills makes the reader stay and remember the information better. I struggle with this, but everything can be done if you dedicate yourself to achieve a specific goal!
everything can be done if you dedicate yourself
Well said!
This works extremely fast- you will be amazed!
DISCLAIMER: dropahead Curation Team does not necessarily share opinions expressed in this article, but find author's effort and/or contribution deserves better reward and visibility.
to maximize your curation rewards!
with SteemConnect
12.5SP, 25SP, 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP
Do the above and we'll have more STEEM POWER to give YOU bigger rewards next time!
News from dropahead: How to give back to the dropahead Project in 15 seconds or less
Quality review by the dropahead Curation Team
According to our quality standards(1), your publication has reached an score of 81%.
Well said Gabriel García Marquez: "You learn to write by writing" Keep trying, you will soon achieve excellence!
(1) dropahead Witness' quality standards:
- Graphic relation to the text (Choice of images according to the text)
- Order and coherence
- Style and uniqueness (Personal touch, logic, complexity, what makes it interesting and easy to understand for the reader)
- Images source and their usage license
Thank you so much :)
I'm going to try writing and coloring my 'senses' -that's a new one for me. Although recently I have tried adopting the lives of random people I see on the road...what are they thinking? where are they going? How would it feel to be them? I, however, don't have a so-good concentration span, I think it'd help to work on that as well.
With daily practice, even a few minutes, you will improve greatly!
Thanks. I try to, even if it is just penning down random thoughts that'll never see the light of day :)
Perfect! It's still practice hun :)
Coloring your senses is a great idea. I was always thikning about such thing. Why there isnt a field of art that dedicated in words writing and painting.
Perhaps you can make it!
This is indeed a great guide that you have provided, staying focus and determined is one thing that must be part of it @arbitrarykitten
Absolutely!
This is an activity we will have to do after dinner one night with my house mates. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! Fair warning- it's addictive ;)
I ain't scared.
Go #SteemitEducation! Thank you :)
I also like writing. Thank God I have visited your blog.
It is a pleasure to meet you!
wonderful. such a beautiful wiriting. people like it. keep it up
That is very good to hear :)
Amazing article. Very well explained. Thank tou and keep it up
Thank you for reading :) I am very appreciative that it's helpful :)
Now this somewhat interesting ....
I am happy you enjoyed it :)
@arbitrarykitten right now I just feel tired and I am going to go hug my pillow...............
Awe, well I hope you have a comforting slumber, and that it's the cool side ;)
A perfect to a beautiful writing prompt, for one to really become a good writer, skills are needed to make it happen, and this one here really teaches a lot
I am so happy to be inspirational <3
Awesome post. I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into it.
Thank you! I am happy you enjoyed it :)
Bookmarked! As a non-native I need improving my descriptive skills as much as possible.
Oh good! This will surely help :) I am happy to be helpful!
This post has received a 0.10 % upvote from @drotto thanks to: @banjo.
I will try these once I have the time. It think I can do it :D
Don't find the time, make the time!
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by ArbitraryKitten from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP.
Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.
Really awesome post! I'm working to improve my writing skills, am sure going to try these tips. Thanks for the outstanding advice @arbitrarykitten.
Awesome! Let me know how well it works for you, and if you tweak it ;)
These are some very useful tips, I have a hard time writing more then a few lines about something, usually fear that its not interesting enough, or I am repeating myself and different words. Going to sit down tonight and go through a few of these exercises, thanks!
Great exercises!
Thank you for sharing effective exercises and activities to boost our writing, these will definitely jumpstart our sleeping neurons into creative action. Just quite sad that resteeming time is over :/