The other day I was trying to do some writing work that I just didn't have the creativity to do. It was a corporate brochure and I had already written a copy for the client, but they wanted it to be "spiced" up. Isn't a corporate brochure supposed to be boring? How do you add a little spice to a brochure on commercial real estate, especially when there aren't any pictures?
What I did was stop for a moment to write some thoughts down. Just whatever came to mind. At first, my brain was telling me that I was wasting time and I needed to get cracking on this project. But how could I write the 'spicy' project when I was running low on spice? I was just staring at the paper anyway, I might as well just write some thoughts down.
So I wrote for about 10 minutes. I wrote whatever came to my mind. I don't remember what I wrote because I don't have my book with me, but that small exercise opened me up to creativity. Even though I wasn't able to complete the project for a few more days, eventually that flow came back and I was feeling somewhat normal again (whatever that is!).
Monday, January 29, 2007
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Taste
Happy New Year to everyone. I hope that you are starting the year off right. For myself, I don't write out resolutions; instead, I choose to write out goals. Set something in your mind and go for it. Don't beat yourself up if you fall every now and then. Just get back out there and keep doing what you want and eventually things will come to fruition.
Over the holidays, there are so many memories surrounding taste as we are constantly eating during this time of year. For me, cabbage rolls and perogies* are great taste memories. My grandmother's perogies slathered in butter and onions always have a distinct taste to them that you can't find in store bought perogies.
The cabbage rolls are a different story. They remind me of a time when I was twelve and at a family wedding. The cabbage got stuck in my throat and I had to cough it up, eventually placing it in the ashtray in front of my sister and cousin. They weren't very happy about that.
Experiencing taste and texture in food becomes a part of writing. It assists the reader with what kind of party is happening in the character's mouth. Taste doesn't have to be a huge part of your writing, but letting the reader know that the dough of the perogy was something that your character is not fond of or something they enjoy will put them right in the middle of story.
*(For those who are unsure: A cabbage roll is meat and rice etc wrapped in cabbage leaves and baked; add tomato sauce or ketchup for more yumminess. A perogy is like a dumpling. Fillings like cheese and potato, potato and onion etc are folded inside a piece of dough and boiled and served with sour cream and onions. They can be filled with cherries or plums for a dessert alternative.)
Over the holidays, there are so many memories surrounding taste as we are constantly eating during this time of year. For me, cabbage rolls and perogies* are great taste memories. My grandmother's perogies slathered in butter and onions always have a distinct taste to them that you can't find in store bought perogies.
The cabbage rolls are a different story. They remind me of a time when I was twelve and at a family wedding. The cabbage got stuck in my throat and I had to cough it up, eventually placing it in the ashtray in front of my sister and cousin. They weren't very happy about that.
Experiencing taste and texture in food becomes a part of writing. It assists the reader with what kind of party is happening in the character's mouth. Taste doesn't have to be a huge part of your writing, but letting the reader know that the dough of the perogy was something that your character is not fond of or something they enjoy will put them right in the middle of story.
*(For those who are unsure: A cabbage roll is meat and rice etc wrapped in cabbage leaves and baked; add tomato sauce or ketchup for more yumminess. A perogy is like a dumpling. Fillings like cheese and potato, potato and onion etc are folded inside a piece of dough and boiled and served with sour cream and onions. They can be filled with cherries or plums for a dessert alternative.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
