Tuesday Tip: Describe the Ordinary

Sometimes, I like to force myself to write creatively.  To exercise the often-under-used left side of my brain.  So I'll stop what I'm doing, look around, and pick something to describe.  When I do this, I come up with just one sentence that I hope would make a reader feel like they were right there with me: seeing, feeling, sensing, the same thing I am.  I've done this with the gentle kneading of a massage or the way too-hot coffee leaves your tongue all prickly.

My favorite one so far: 

Flames lapped at the once-solid logs, reducing them to brittle, glowing bones.

I wrote this as I stared into a waning fire on a cold, north Florida night (yes, we do have cold here).  And hopefully it - or something like it - will find it's way into one of my WIPs one of these days.


Maybe it's time to challenge yourself today too.  Describe something ordinary.  It could be something sitting right next to you on your desk.  It could be the way it feels when your children throw their sweaty, sticky arms around your neck when you pick them up from camp.  But if you do this -- really push yourself to find the essence of what you want to say -- I promise you the exercise won't be a waste of time.