Words With Impact: Deepen Vocabulary with Dreams

Workshop: Discover Words That Sing

“All this time the Guard was looking at her, first through a telescope, then through a microscope, and then through an opera glass.”                                   Lewis Carroll

One year my grandson’s class did an art project studying Chagall. It was fascinating to see the images these six year-olds chose to reflect in their emerging sense of self-portrait and what they remembered as being important to them. And satisfying to see that almost every child chose some depiction of home or school as being a safe place. This is the age to be able to dream big dreams, to become someone new every day and learn to stretch their imagination into possibilities.

For some, this season can become a root of direction. Perhaps not the actual future vocation, but the essence of value begins to come to light. For others, it’s a long journey. For all of us at any age it’s a struggle to know when to pursue a dream, and when it needs to be altered.

One little girl splashed dance all over her portrait, basically ignoring all the other categories suggested as possibilities. Motion and movement poured out of her. Will she become a dancer—only time will tell if that dream is a concrete reality—but somewhere music will likely be a large part of her life.

Most childhood dreams fade with laughter, however some fade leaving behind a dark shadow when a piece of us become cut away along with the dream. Or dismissed as being irrelevant—impossible—irresponsible.

Maybe for ourselves, and our characters, we need to stop, reflect, remember our own dream of our self-portrait and see if we’ve forgotten something important that needs to be refreshed. Langston Hughes captures that essence in his poem, which I have shared in an earlier blog.

Dreams by Langston Hughes

                        “Hold fast to dreams

                        For if dreams die

                        Life is a broken-winged bird

                        That cannot fly

                        Hold fast to dreams

                        For when dreams go

                        Life is a barren field

                        Frozen with snow”

Action Steps:

1. Two prominent images here are the broken-winged bird and the barren field. What are some feelings you associate with these images?

2. What two or three words would your character use to remember a broken dream?

3. Which of Langston’s words connect with Carroll’s lens in the opening quote?

Share: One image you chose and your reason why.

Read deep, marcy

Journal with Impact: Personal Reflection Read

Workshop: Six Conversations for Writing Creative Journals

“When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. Then we can really learn something. The beginner’s mind is the mind of compassion. When our mind is compassionate, it is boundless.”

Henri Nouwen The Genesee Diary

Whether we read or listen to books, blogs, podcasts, or videos we are purposefully engaging in a new perspective or experience. Even if it is assigned reading. Yet we can only really participate emotionally if we come with the intent to learn. Even if we are looking to be entertained. If you have a particular subject or author or research you want to pursue for a season, then consider keeping a reading journal. Whatever you are reading, look for your own personal connection to the content and explore away.

Here are a few examples that may not be considered typical reflection reading.

Poetry speaks through figurative language and metaphors. You don’t need to be a poet or have any intention of becoming one, but reading poetry captures images and language in a succinct style that enables any reader (and writer) to explore sensory perception with sharp precision.

Paintings or photographs can be read for theme, story, and image. When we "see" the effect of micro-scenes, we can then apply the insights to ourselves, and writers can adapt the techniques to fictional scenes, therefore deepening their effect. When we read non-fiction, we can re-experience their personal presence for ourselves.

Dreams by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow

Briefly journal these questions as an initial response.

A. Have you ever had to defer a dream? (define)

B. What did it feel like? What images stay with you?

C. How did you respond more to the explicit or implicit images?

D. Two prominent images are the broken-winged bird and the barren field. What are some feelings you associate with these images?

Action Steps:

1.     Read Mary Oliver’s poem “The Journey” from her collection Dream Work.

(One link can be found at http://peacefulrivers.homestead.com/maryoliver.htm)

2.     Go back through it and write down all the words that you identify with your own feelings.

3.     Take each word or phrase you choose and write the words in a scattered pattern in different colors on a sheet of paper.

4.     What thought jumps out for you?

5.     In what ways does her poem or thoughts connect with Langston Hughes’s poem?

Share: What emotional resonance do you most identify with in this poem? Why?

                                                            Read deep, marcy

Build a Story World

Read With Impact (Three)

For poetry, read for language and metaphors. Practice studying for implicit and explicit examples and watch for the sound of words as well.

They are usually ordinary words that are fine-tuned for a clear purpose. Musicians all use the same notes, but one may write an opera and another heavy metal rock. The styles, the genre, the melody all impact the final result.  Likewise our words arise out of each project.

We fine-tune by deepened vocabulary. What needs to be highlighted? Where do we need to whisper or to shout? Do we make sure our reader has absolutely no doubt what we intend, or do we want ambiguity?

Exercise: Briefly 

  Journal your answers to these questions.

a.     Have you ever had to defer a dream (define)?

b.     What did it feel like?

c.      What images stay with you?

    Read           Dreams by Langston Hughes

                        Hold fast to dreams

                        For if dreams die

                        Life is a broken-winged bird

                        That cannot fly

                        Hold fast to dreams

                        For when dreams go

                        Life is a barren field

                        Frozen with snow

     Respond

a.     What is explicit? What is implicit?

b.     Two prominent images are the broken-winged bird and the barren field. What are some feelings you associate with these images?

c.      What qualities make a writer’s voice distinctive and memorable?

Application: Practice Changing Clichés

1.Take well-known clichés and shift them around. Make a list of as many common ones that you can think of and then crisscross them just for fun. Some will be hilarious and ridiculous. And some might spark a new phrase.

2. Or make a list of metaphors and similes from one poem and then re-write them. Put your new version back into the original poem. How does the focus change?

3. This is really entertaining in a small group of writers and rather surprising at some of the images that can come to the surface.

4. Practice shifting old concepts around until they become new and fresh.

Share: Choose one or two of your favorites and share.