Monday, September 19, 2011

A Couple of Hints for "Juicy" Writing

I wrote last week that I was having a bit of writer's block with this blog. I got a lot of good ideas on how to overcome this, from surrounding myself with interesting people, to taking a walk outside. My friend today finally convinced me to write, as I extolled the virtues of the orange pineapple juice I was drinking after my walk. She said, "Write about how to juice up your writing."

I imagine there are those out there better qualified than I to tackle this subject, but, as this is a blog on writing, I'll give it a shot. I think the best way to make your writing more interesting is to bombard the reader with sensory information.

Even our emotions are nothing so much as feelings in our bodies - a tightness in the chest, a turning stomach, a sense of expansion in our head.

If something as personal as feelings is ties to our senses, how much could our writing benefit from some "juicy" sensory information?

Instead of writing that the orange pineapple juice was glorious (which it was!), I could tell you that it slid down like velvet on my tongue. Perhaps not the most original sensory explanation, but you get the picture. Likewise, taking a walk outside is sensory overload. I feel the beads of sweat on my upper lip as the close Colorado sun heats me up in my black t-shirt. I hear the ducks quack as they waddle to their mothers. I look at the lake and see, to quote Jerry Garcia, "a ripple where there is no wind or pebble tossed." How do you spice up your writing?

1 comment:

  1. One has to focus on why I am writing. If I'm writing to work through a personal issue, my writing will be wrenching and meandering. If I'm writing to paint beautiful feelings, the words will visually explode. I believe most great writing is provocative; it moves people to feel good or to be unsettled. It has to cross a boundary. The routine seems dull.

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