Thursday, January 12, 2012

Hunting and Gathering



Leap into a primal mind of awareness and observation of the world around you.  Be still, listen, hunt and gather.

Notice.  Stories revolve around all of our life's activities.

Hunt for ideas behind doors.  What rustles in the bushes?

Clip photographs from magazines to gather items that add texture to your writing.

Sift incidents overheard from friends' talk or in restaurants.

Write fragments of conversations in the aisles of supermarkets.

Eavesdrop for names and nicknames.

Cut out fragments of color, material you happen upon.  Add scents and sounds.

Take nature walks and choose rocks in perculiar shapes, twigs, and feathers.

Observe empty spaces and what occurs in the silence.

Discover quotations, good leads to stories and surprise endings.


Watch for everything to enrich your creativity.

Then what?   Tape or paste your clues on pages to fit into a loose leaf binder to become your sketchbook.

Divide by sections for ease in filing collections of story sparkers.

As you collect clues, you will begin to notice patterns forming to assist you with ideas for use in plotting, character development, scenery and mood.

Where will you begin today?

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