I skimmed Twitter this morning, and random nouns from people I follow leaped out at me and made me laugh at their juxtaposition. So I tweeted: “I could write a really interesting poem with words I just read in my twitter stream. (coffee, bakery, vaginas, full moon, hot, synopsis)” Then I thought, hey, why not do that? I need a warmup.
First I used each noun as the last word in a line:
I have my morning coffee
I wish I was at a bakery
Why are people talking about vaginas?
It must be a full moon
I think today’s going to be hot
Glad my book already has a synopsis
Then I used the same nouns as the first word in a line:
Coffee kickstarts my morning
Bakery indulgences dance in my head, but they’ll have to remain a fantasy
Vaginas have gone mainstream, that’s reality
Full moon images on romance novel covers even hint at female power and the beast
Hot stuff, heady, except do we want to tame the beast or be the beast?
Synopsis for that book hasn’t been written yet
I think the second version’s more interesting. Using the words as a jumping-off point instead of a target may lead to more creative results, and that alone is something to experiment with.
Next time you’re looking for a writing warmup, why not harvest Twitter for a list of nouns or verbs?
I likes the second one!
Edie, me too.
I have to agree that the second one is more interesting. I love the idea of using random nouns as a warm up exercise. I’m not on Twitter because it’s bad enough I am constantly connected to the Internet world. It would be just one more thing I’d check on a regular basis and I’m nuts as it is. LOL I figure I could collect interesting words throughout the day for the next morning’s writng warm-up.
Great idea and thanks for sharing! 😀
Jody, I don’t even try to keep up Twitter. I skim from time to time, I check @ replies, that’s about it. You can use books from your bookshelf to get your random words, pick up six and pick a word from the first page of each, that kind of thing.
Finally, something Twitter is good for besides badly-spelled gossip! Ha.
I’m with Edie and Jody, I like the second batch. In the hands of a writer, words are always the paintbrushes and the paint (versus the fist and the mud.)
On the topic of using words cleverly, if you get a chance watch this DK video over on YouTube (just be sure to watch the entire thing if you do): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Weq_sHxghcg&feature=player_embedded
I thought the 2nd version was much stronger than the first, too.
Great video! I like the statement at the end, we’re writing it. And just to prove that Twitter is as interesting as the people you follow, here’s a link via Elizabeth Bear:
http://students.ou.edu/M/Eric.C.Mai-1/DE.htm
It’s a little long, but recommended for anybody who is both commercial and creative. (And if we’re not producing anything with commercial value, I have to wonder how creative we actually are)
What an interesting exercise! I especially like the idea of using the words as a jumping off point, rather than as an ending.
Might be useful when the old brain synapses are limping along.
Thanks!
Maria, hope you find the trick helpful.
Fun and clever! I like them both. 🙂
Thanks, NJ! It was a fun word game to play.