Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Arvon Creative Writing Exercises

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
(Limbering up exercise)

Start with the words "I remember" and don't stop writing until the tutor says so.

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I remember not liking a certain flavour of crisps. Banana flavour! Hah, just joking. No it was Smokey Bacon. But I really liked Seabrook Salt 'n' Vinegar crisps, but they don't seem to sell Seabrook anymore, so I guess it has to be Walkers, with good ol' big ears Gary Lineker. (70% less rubbish in them than before, apparently - which is nice to know.)

I think Gary should be on TV more, actually. Why can't he read the news in the morning, tell me what the weather's going to be like at lunchtime, introduce Blue Peter and finish off with Match of the Day. Yes, Match of the Day (MOTD as we like to call it) should be on every day. Sod the professional footballers' sensibilities, they get paid enough they can play every day.

They should even make a special character for him, with big ears or distinguished grey head or inane grin, in The Simpsons. He would have to have bad teeth, natch, so verifying the US stereotype of us brits, but at least that's better than being thought of as cheese-eating surrender monkey a la the French.


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DESCRIPTIONS

Describe the characters and events that come to mind when you see this picture. See if people can guess which photograph you're writing about.



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It was a long, lazy-lounge kind of day. The mices would just have to wait to be ripped into pieces. It's my dreamtime. Plump the pillows and, slowly, tuck my head down, slowly, pull my tail in. Sleep.

I want to hide from the grey and predictable. I want to ride on the back of a beast. A beast that feasts on brilliant blues and shocking orange. Dog-devouring demons that I can control with my mind. Where dolphins do their dolphin thing. I'm on the back off their fins.

Now go away. I want to play some more, on my own. Don't worry,I'll let you know when you're required once more.


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METAPHORS & SIMILIES

Write up 2 pages of fifteen nouns. Do it quickly. Then give your neighbour (to the left of you) one of the pages. Now try to makeup interesting similies and metaphors.

Example

(my list)

glasses, paper, pen, map, car, lights, road, sign, shop, blanket,tie, top, tap, grass, zoo

(neighbour's list)

bucket, ring, flower, goat*, socks, broach, hunger(?), snake,book, nose, bed, photograph, pen, purse, lamp

And what I came up with (not easy exercise)

- glasses like lamps
- The snake mapped its way across the floor

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