I didn't get a chance to write something for the Rainy Day Blogfest hosted by Christine H. Sorry but go and check out the entries. I will be.
Part of my new schedule is to learn something new and apply it to my writing. I remember a post by the lovely Erica Mitchell Spickard from Chapter by Chapter and Chimera Critiques. She posted about the senses. That's right-- sight, smell, touch, taste and sound. I know some of my chapters need more of this. In her post, she performed an interesting exercise. She blindfolded herself for four hours while exploring her house to tap into her senses. Quite clever and interesting. Erica rocks. She is awesome at discussing this exercise.
Technically, I wouldn't need a blindfold. I could just remove my contacts and everything beyond eight inches in front of me becomes a blur.I'm also clumsy so blindfolding myself and walking around my house would be quite comical. My kids would be running around like they were just let out of a cage, I would wind up tripping over the cat then tripping over the other cat, walking into a wall, falling down the steps, you get the picture but I wanted to try this in some form.
So, here is what I did. When I think of it and I have even two minutes of silence, I shut my eyes and tap into my senses. For example, pumping gas into my car. I shut my eyes and tap into the sounds, the touch, the smell. There's not much to taste so I didn't get into that one. When I sit in the middle of the night while my son goes back to sleep. I listen, touch, smell, taste (my mouth is usually dry, so again not much else.) You can do this anywhere-- although I wouldn't recommend it driving or using some sort of equipment. Keep it safe people. The public may give you a few stares but --hey this is research.
If you can write down your findings with detail descriptions, do it. This has helped me tremendously. I could feel my MCs before and now when I write a scene I can really feel them. It is helping me open my mind and forcing me to not only write but to feel. I also approach writing a scene differently than I did before. I write the dialogue and set myself into the scene, thinking about what my MC's senses are going through.
Have you tried this exercise?
Has it helped you?
That's all I got today. The photo is there for you to think about what sights, sounds, smells, feelings, tastes you might experience in that setting. Okay, I had trouble uploading a photo. Have a great day!
