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“You enter the extraordinary by way of the ordinary.” ~Frederick Buechner
Workshop:
Six Conversations for Writing Creative
Journals
“You present
your story in terms of things that can be verified by sensory perception.
Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch—these are the common denominators of human
experience; these are the evidence that men believe.” Dwight V.
Swain
Before
we can interpret our feelings, memories, and emotions to different habitats we
are drawn towards, in the past or present, we often need to explore the
language that nature’s imagery evokes.
Building
a sensory vocabulary helps us to understand and share our experiences with
depth to both interpret and enhance emotional connections. One of my favorite
and engaging applications came from a workshop I took with author Ethel Herr.
She pointed out that any observation is incomplete unless we can track the
emotional reaction—both in one-to-one contact and with fictional characters.
We
need to develop the essential specific word choices: salty-sour-sweet-bitter.
If it smells bad is it like a: rotten egg, a sewer, or a low tide? And we also
need to recognize that what smells bad to one person may actually be sweet to
another. I discovered that one day when driving with an elderly friend. I smelt
something noxious and worried it was my car. I asked if she could smell it and
her reply was “isn’t it lovely?” Apparently we were smelling sulfur, which to
her reminded her of where she grew up near sulfur springs. She happily inhaled
while I attempted not to choke.
To
develop and expand a wider vocabulary Ethel Herr suggested choosing a different sense per day and
paying close attention to just it. So on Monday notice everything you smell. On
Tuesday touch, Wednesday taste, Thursday hear, and Friday see.
Then next
to each word on each list expand the possibilities. Again, did something smell
rotten? Was it rotten like decaying compost, a humid hiking trail, or a dead
fish? What distinguishes each ‘rotten’ smell? Repeat the process for any words
that you want more depth to.
Action
Steps:
1. Take the
habitat and memory you chose last week and apply Ethel Herr’s exercise to your
details. Choose one sense per day and daydream that moment.
2. What detail
surprised you? What made you laugh or cry?
3. What word best
represents your language example?
Share: What two
favorite sensory images did you remember?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop:
Six Conversations for Writing Creative
Journals
“The act of
recording a life, in healthy solitude and active connection to a loved terrain,
is also the act of creating a life.” Hannah Hinchman
Nature
Journals—Language
Art,
music, and imagery can become a separate language of communication. So too does
nature. It is a language that speaks to us, by personally touching our hearts
and souls with meaning, and also by allowing us to share across time and
culture with others. Nature as reflection builds a bridge of communication that
gives us soul-to-soul threads of understanding.
Their
images provide illustrations to our past and our present with strangers and
friends, as we paint words with pictures and sensory description through
writing, or share our images silently in drawings and photographs.
Here
are a few examples.
In
her book, This Same Sky, Naomi Shihab
Nye shares poems from around the world; this excerpt is by Kwang-kyu Kim in
South Korea, translation by Brother Anthony.
The
Land of Mists
“In the land of mists
always shrouded in mist
nothing ever happens
And if something happens
nothing can be seen
because of the mist
for if you live in mist
you get accustomed to mist
so you don’t try to see
Therefore in the land of mists
you should not try to see
you have to hear things
for if you don’t hear you can’t live
so ears keep on growing
People like rabbits
with ears of white mist
Iive in the land of mists.”
As
a child I spent many summers visiting my aunt at a lake in northern Ontario,
Canada. At least once or twice each summer we would get a raging storm over the
lake unlike anything I would ever experience in the city. There were no hard
copy photographs for me to look at when I grew older, but as I re-saw the
storms in my memory I was able to see it again and capture it for myself in a
poem.
The Storm,
by marcy weydemuller
Gloom black sky,
thick hard rain,
the lake invisible.
Until lightning
ripped above.
Then we could see
bending trees,
churning waves
wrestled the storm.
Awestruck, we
returned to dark
again.
Action
Steps:
1. What images or emotions do you identify
with in either of these nature snapshots? What memories do they bring up from
your own experience in a particular setting? Write that scene up in your
journal.
2. Then write, “today I wish I could go to
the woods, meadow, ocean, forest, lake, mountain or…
because…….. .”
Share:
Why does that habitat of nature appeal to you the most?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
Tone overlaps with voice as we discussed
earlier. To be a background influence that impacts setting, the word choices
need to be precise giving a clear visual. Strong verbs that can stand on their
own without punctuation, such as exclamation marks, help give a solid
atmosphere.
Another way that tone can have an insightful
influence is when what one character is saying or acting outwardly while at the
same time is internally having an opposite or other emotional reaction. It
turns the setting upside down.
Take into consideration the age you’re
writing for as well. Five year-olds and under can rarely hide their feelings
from family members or even want to try. Unless? Perhaps they are in on a
surprise for a family member. And trying to keep a secret. There are
opportunities for all kinds of humorous misunderstandings all around.
The older the character, and the more intense
a situation, though the tone can become a shadow for a mystery, or a personal
grief, or a difficult moral decision. The tone needs to be authentic to the
character’s perception of the situation even if he is in error.
If the reader is in the dark as well they
will connect to the character’s struggle. If the reader knows the facts are
different they will still empathize with the heroine’s dilemma and be rooting
for her.
Action Steps:
1.
Do an internal dialogue of
feelings with a character who is interacting the opposite way externally.
2.
Now do the same with the person
to whom they are speaking.
Share: Who would be able to tell what
either character is really thinking based on her body language?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
Language choices can strengthen settings by
giving a flavor of time, whether between generations or geographically. Even
within a small local setting there may be different dialects or inflections
that indicate both historical and personal history.
In the mystery TV series, Death in Paradise, the island population
is a mix of British and French on the fictional Caribbean island of
Saint-Marie. Their words, phrases, and accents clearly introduce viewers to
their background without giving a detailed explanation.
Within families the language can also mirror
cultural decades and/or education. In The
Adventures of Pearley Monroe, by Marci Seither, the fictional adaptation of
a real pioneer family, the language shows the difference between the uneducated
adults and the present school opportunities for the children. What do you
notice about the language in the following two excerpts?
“I hate those miners,” Pearley blurted out with anger. “I hate Mr.
Yates and Gold Bug Mine. It wasn’t Rose’s fault she came into the world too
early, it is theirs. No one can bring her back.”
“Pearley,” said Pa. “We have to let this thing go into God’s
hands, cuz our hands is jist too small for this load of grief. You hear what
I’m sayin’?”
Jack Hodgins suggests when listening in on
conversations take notice of the rhythms, favorite expressions, and sentence
lengths. This is important for us as writers for the younger age group because
their style and vocabulary is different from what we grew up with.
He also suggests when listening study:
“
a) level, type, and breadth of the person’s vocabulary (education)
b) diction level (slang? colloquial?
precisely scientific?)
c) implied emotional states; present
circumstances.”
Regional, ethnic, educational, and socioeconomic
will be a factor in what kind of vocabulary you use. And also for speech patterns such as: you know, eh, bien, por favor.
Action Steps:
1.
Write a dialogue between two or
three different characters of different ages without saying their age
difference.
2.
Make a list of sayings or slang
phrases that are familiar to you. Can you match the decade they came from and
why?
Share: Which saying is the funniest?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
“Attention to language is essential in making scenes vibrant.” Laurie Alberts
Language is a quiet tool in setting that can
have impact whether used subtly or overtly. Think of a recurring family
gathering for example. You’re late arriving and as you come in the hallway you
can hear the voices in the next room. One by one you can identify who’s
speaking by their word choices, speech patterns, and sound of their voice. If
you hear someone you don’t recognize, you hesitate and try to think who it
might be.
Do you smile because you recognize the words
from family stories being retold or cringe because you hear a subject that
means someone is getting grilled. And you might be next.
Regardless of subject matter, each person has
a “tell” to their style. Does Uncle Frank have a raspy voice from years of
smoking, or from a job where he needs to shout? Does he use short, fast words?
What about Aunt Fiona? Does she use long words in slow motion? Does this contrast between them invite
humor, or a deep sigh knowing extreme patience is now necessary?
Or you arrive at a gathering as a newcomer.
How do you recognize possible ages of the characters from the dialogue you
overhear? Young children, teenagers, elderly? Slang or polished speech—and the
reason why?
Whatever combination of subject, word
choices, and delivery you choose influences the scene and its purpose. And as
the author you should be able to recognize each character’s language style
without even saying their name.
Action Steps:
1.
Take 4-6 characters. Have a conversation
with minimal description. For example, one girl is chewing on her ponytail.
2.
Write out a few words for each of
the characters without identifying who they are. For example: Give to each five words or
phrases that only they would use. Ex. rad i cal, oh dear.
3.
Can you tell them apart? How?
Share: Which character was the most
difficult to identify without saying their name?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An
Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
“One can see
the importance of reading the words aloud from a picture book: it is more
important how the words will sound when heard, than seen when read.” Uri
Shulevitz
Language always matters, but for this age words need
to be chosen with precise purpose. Shulevitz points out that as an audience of
mostly non-readers, they will see the
pictures and hear the words.
Choices to consider:
1. Simplify the form.
2. What’s the exact problem?
3. Is the
emotion clear?
4. Is the story
line straightforward?
5. Rhyme can either help or be a roadblock. Ask yourself, “Why
do I want to use this?” How could it strengthen the story or weaken the story?
6. Consider
potential of Rhythm—poetry without
rhyme but with meter.
7. Develop the sound of words by reading poetry and picture books aloud. One quote given somewhere says that
before writing a book an author should read at least 100 in their genre.
8. Music helps shape your prose as well. Listen for melodic lines and
patterns to borrow, such as liturgy or a rap.
9. If you use Repetition it must serve the story. Look
for simplicity here as well.
Action Steps: Build a Sensory
Vocabulary
Start a reference Journal
1. In a workshop I once took with
author Ethel Herr, she suggested choosing a different sense per day and paying
close attention to just it. So on Monday notice everything you smell. On
Tuesday touch, Wednesday taste, Thursday hear, Friday see.
 2.
Then next to each word on each list expand. Again, did something smell rotten?
Was it rotten like an egg, a sewer, or a dead fish? What distinguishes each
‘rotten’ smell? Repeat for any words that you want more depth to.
Suggestion.
Next to your list above have another column with words that babies to five year
olds can identify with. The two year old in my family is not shy about saying
‘yucky’, which to him can be a truly bad odor, like garbage, as well as a
delicious soup simmering on the stove. If he doesn’t like the smell—it’s yucky.
3.
Add to this reference journal any time you notice a characteristic that
enhances emotional connections.
Share: Which sense do you rarely notice?
Read deep, marcy
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.
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