Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 21:59:38 EST From: "tink a dink a doo..." Subject: EXERCISE: The most amazing things... [Based on an exercise in The Writing Workshop, Vol. 2, by Alan Ziegler, p. 26] Pick a number from one to six. Go ahead, pick one... 1. Amazing 2. Heroic 3. Horrible 4. Beautiful 5. Frightening 6. Inspiring Start by taking your word and putting it in this phrase: The Most (Insert your word here) Thing I've Never Seen Do a fast brainstorming session -- let your mind roll around on the floor and howl at the moon -- scribble down at least five ideas in response to that phrase. Don't spend more than a few minutes expanding any of them, just go on and come up with another one... Now, put your word in this phrase: The Most (Insert your word here) Thing I've Ever Seen Do the same thing, dreaming up at least five responses to this phrase, but focus on incredible personal experiences. Not something you've heard about, not a global shakeup on the other side of the world, but those little miracles and moments that you have encountered. Finally, take your favorite thing from each list (those you've never seen, those you've seen) and one more little bit -- the topic of sight, sound, sensations and experience and so on...one to sixers? okay... 1. sight 2. sound 3. feeling (tactile type) 4. taste/smell 5. emotions 6. memories/experiences Let these three rattle around in the old mixmaster of your mental slice-and-dice setup, look at whatever connections and annotations may turn up, and then... write! Quick Start There are times when the world seems to snap into sharp focus, connecting things seen and unseen in a moment of wonder. and then along came the thunder of keyboards, silently molding bits in cyberspace, presenting shining spirits and mists of the night... tink ------- End of Forwarded Message