tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post3905875514560109285..comments2023-08-14T10:44:59.007-04:00Comments on Novel Spaces: Video and practiceKeVin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14792797517571690942noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-76730569431496082352011-02-05T17:06:05.298-05:002011-02-05T17:06:05.298-05:00I don't spend hours on writing exercises, but ...I don't spend hours on writing exercises, but I do practice.<br /><br />An exercise I learned many years ago has been useful to me in writing descriptions; it was a three day process, but I use a quick version myself when I want to free up my thinking. We were first assigned to write a 1000-word description of real place linked to something bad that had happened in our lives; a place that made us depressed whenever we thought about it. The next day we were tasked with describing exactly the same setting from the viewpoint of someone who thought it was wonderful. I chose the room where my mother died, and for the happy memory I invented a hospice volunteer who thought death was a more liberating transition than birth. The difference between the two descriptions of the same room went way beyond adjectives. On the third day we were assigned a short (3000-word) story in that setting. Obviously this exercise is more powerful when the writer doesn't know what's coming next, but when I find my settings running flat, taking a few minutes and writing scene from opposite perspectives can open my eyes to texture and nuance I might not otherwise have considered.KeVin K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14792797517571690942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-80112608382019985032011-02-04T00:45:46.366-05:002011-02-04T00:45:46.366-05:00Your son reminds me of my Richard; he punctured hi...Your son reminds me of my Richard; he punctured his Achilles tendon while cycling two years ago and the weeks of enforced inactivity were tough on him, to put it mildly. <br /><br />I rarely do writing exercises; I consider writing stuff I intend to keep then rewriting, editing and tweaking ad nauseam practice enough. I do examine writing that impresses me to find out what makes it work, though.Liane Spicerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05035607144500219524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-44678264840905267622011-02-03T22:25:00.307-05:002011-02-03T22:25:00.307-05:00Beat him? Never happen. His reflexes are 32 years ...Beat him? Never happen. His reflexes are 32 years younger than mine. He's beaten Borderlands and is now playing Fallout New Vegas. But he has purchased the expansions for Borderlands and when I'm ready we're going to play them as a team. My goal is to be an asset.KeVin K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14792797517571690942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-61372034576618621712011-02-03T14:15:19.764-05:002011-02-03T14:15:19.764-05:00Well I'm sure another reason you practiced so ...Well I'm sure another reason you practiced so much was that you could actually beat your son..Come on.. you know its true..:)SYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03133339104832835879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-34931957622394005752011-02-03T10:37:02.432-05:002011-02-03T10:37:02.432-05:00I got pretty far into Doom and Red Dead redemption...I got pretty far into Doom and Red Dead redemption this past summer when I had time to play. But have virtually dropped them since. No time.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com