Just for Fun: a Jump Start Writing Exercise
Back when my favorite creative field was poetry and creative writing, I loved it when a fellow writer or teacher assigned a short list of words as a creative springboard. Whatever group of writers were involved would all take home the same list and come back at our next meeting with wildly different results, be they poems, "sudden fiction" or monologues.
So I thought it might be fun to do that today. I will list five words chosen serendiptiously, and we'll see if anyone wants to play. Even a sentence counts! It does not have to be a masterpiece. Also, you may volley with your own list of 5 words. Feel free to make the words plural or single, or to use them in any off-the-wall fashion.
- larkspur
- notice
- surrender
- random
- carnival
Now let's see if I can do this...
Ariadne noticed her neighbor's larkspurs had crossed the fence and were springing up randomly amongst the jungle of weeds she could barely call a yard. They were lavender, purple and pink, most rioutous! A carnival of color. Suddenly, she surrendered. She would not sell her house after all, never mind that her Ex thought she'd never manage alone. This was her terra fima, and she was sticking to it. And there would be more, more, many more flowers. (The End)
So that is what is known as a "sudden fiction" or short-short. I did it quickly and let myself play. Perhaps this short fragment could be enlarged into a bigger piece, but probably I never will get around to it. In the meantime, it was fun to put on my creative writing cap again. Hope to see some more random larkspur energy sprouting up off the screen!
Cheers,
Keddy
Illustration - an ancient doodle (perhaps she is Ariadne)
Tags: creativity, exercises, words, writing
Views: 107
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kay Van Hoesen on -
Carnival time again in the islands. Blue, purple, pink and white larkspur sprout from the women's costumes; no one notices they're half-naked. Random bursts of color. I surrender to the moment. Everything's gonna be alright.
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Permalink Reply by Keddy Ann Outlaw on -
Love it! Good going, Kay - and hope it was fun to do.....
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Permalink Reply by Kay Van Hoesen on
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Thank you, Keddy. I have to say, YES, it was fun to do. One of the reasons is because I knew no one would expect a masterpiece from me or judge me by it. I could just do it with abandon. Thank you, Keddy, for posting this. I'd love to get a bunch of people to try this.
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Permalink Reply by Devin on -
Wow. This is interesting....I shall give it a whirl:
After a long week, random thoughts enter my mind--- Could it be...a Carnival cruise in store for me?! I imagine happy people, happy places, and lovely flowers. Upon arriving at the first gateway to paradise, I noticed one flower in particular from far away beckoning me. I surrender to my need to have a closer look and discover larkspur staring back at me. Beauty surrounded me from all angles. I had never seen it up close growing wild. The long walk was worth the smile.
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Permalink Reply by Kay Van Hoesen on
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Fantastic Devin! This is really fun to do! And I know where your mind is. I believe a cruise is on your horizon!
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Permalink Reply by Keddy Ann Outlaw on
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Paradise it is! and it made me smile (:
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Permalink Reply by Shirley Graham on -
You've been hiding a poetic mind Devin! Loved your piece.
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Permalink Reply by Devin on
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:) Thank you. Not sure about poetic though. It just popped out.
I appreciate your piece as well. Flowers are wonderful!
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Permalink Reply by Shirley Graham on
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It's been a long time since I used someone else's writing prompts to write anything. I enjoyed doing this one.
Dean was adamant that the gardens once again become the focal point of his old family home and he'd managed to turn a lawn filled with dying plants taken over by weeds into just that, a focal point that the most famous of horticulturists would envy. Visitors to the home would be greeted to a garden exploding with random floral colors as they surrender to a carnival of emotions among all the foliage but it’s the farthest corners where they'll notice differing larkspur mixing with Cleomes’ beautiful array of spider flowers that will take away their breath.
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Permalink Reply by Keddy Ann Outlaw on
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Sweet. We are on a flower high! Glad you jumped in, Shirley.
Does anyone want to post a new list of 5 words for round 2? Empty you mind, breathe in, breathe out and release a word. Look around the room you are in for an object or a color. Or open a nearby book and point to a word - see what you find. Or mix it up in any fashion....
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