ORGANIC writing..............................................Try it

by Terry 19 Replies latest jw friends

  • Terry
    Terry

    A really good exercise to unblock you in creative writing is to try Organic writing.

    What is it?

    No planning in advance. No notes. No research. No plot.

    Just begin with the first thing that pops into your head.

    Let it lead you. Follow it.

    Then, as you approach the end, try to apply a bit of pressure toward some kind of conclusion.

    Often it will surprise you, confuse you or just annoy you.

    But, at other times, you lay a golden egg:)

    Give it a try. Keep it relatively short. See what happens. Maybe nothing.....

    Here goes:

    "What a beautiful child!" old Mrs. Caldwell exclaimed.

    The street was quiet in the evening shadows. The young woman stood very still, nervous and uncertain.

    "Is it a boy or girl?" the feeble old woman queried, tilting her head sideways to catch the reply.

    "I---I'm.....excuse me--I have to go" the skinny young woman whirled about and pushed the cart hastily into the alleyway.

    The policeman pointed to the large round clock with his bony finger and scowled.

    "I've got all night to sweat it out of you. Where did you hide the child?"

    The woman looked as though she might pass out from fear.

    "I don't know, I told you. Why are you asking ME?"

    The Officer pushed back his hat from his brow and sneered at her menacingly.

    "We have an eye-witness who saw you with the baby not two hours ago. Now cut the crap!"

    The skinny girl stepped onto the platform at the bus terminal and took the baby from the old man with the yellow suspenders.

    "Thank you for watching him, I had to make sure my grandmother was okay."

    The white-haired gentleman beamed proudly.

    "Sound asleep."

    The large silver bus pulled out leaving behind a blue trail of noxious vapor twisting into the midnight air.

    "What? WHO said that? I never stole anybody's baby!"

    Officer Cutter shook his head in disgust. He pulled up a folding chair and sat knee-to-knee with the disheveled Mrs.Caldwell.

    "A young lady said she ran into you outside the pharmacy. She said you almost knocked her over. You were clutching a baby in your arms.

    Now tell me where you hid it before this becomes a charge of homicide!"

    Mrs. Caldwell broke into a large grin.

    "Oh, Doctor Cutter--I'm so glad you're here! There's been a terrible mistake!"

    The hospital suddenly seemed very clean and the lights were awfully bright around her.

    She blinked a few times and straightened her aching back.

    "Have you seen Mrs.Caldwell today," she inquired. But, Doctor Cutter was back in that awful blue uniform again.

    His badge obviously needed polishing.

    The skinny girl pulled back the blankets and stifled a smile. What a beautiful puppy it was.

    "Hey, Judy!" The voice came from behind her. A familiar voice.

    "Yeah, I knew it was you. Judy Caldwell!" The face was oddly familiar.

    "It's me, Doc Caldwell. Hey, you don't looks so good. You didn't stop your meds again, did you?"

    End

  • james_woods
    james_woods

    Very good Terry.

  • JeffT
    JeffT

    I've tried that. It gets really depressing to reach page 100 or so and realize you've painted yourself into a corner. I always work with an outline now. It changes as I write, but it seems to work better.

  • Terry
    Terry

    Well, just don't "judge" what comes out.

    The idea is to unstop the pipes! Clear out the imaginative rust.

    Let it be awful.

    What learning curve isn't littered with the corpses of failure?

    Come on, just try!

  • Phizzy
    Phizzy

    I prefer free range to organic.

  • JeffT
    JeffT

    Terry

    Have you participated in nanowrimo? You should join us in November. I didn't complete last year, but the year before I cranked out 52,000 words in 30 days. I'm now editing that manuscript (with professional help) in preparation for submission to an agent. It's sort of JW related.

  • Terry
    Terry

    Several years ago I wrote a fictional version of my Prison Bio during Nanorimo. I actually completed it. Then, my hard drive crashed.

    It saved the world a real piece of crap, let me tell you !

  • james_woods
    james_woods
    It saved the world a real piece of crap, let me tell you !

    Well, the next one will be better. Try to keep it concise - and remember our old friends Sammy and Buddy.

  • nancy drew
    nancy drew

    She began a crazy writing campaign that exploded into confusion when everything began to rhyme and there was no stopping it. You know how a cold starts sore throat, congestion, sneezing coughing and fever well it was just like that she was bed ridden. Writing limericks furiously because everything in her room rhymed with something and they found her one day her room like a paper hoarders room stacked to the ceiling and her mind finally empty.

    organic writing can be dangerous

  • Terry
    Terry

    I like it!

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