Why not try object
writing to open a whole new world of creative possibilities. As people have
said the journaling style with a prompt gives huge rewards once you get into
the groove of this Pat Pattison’s object writing method to open you creative
soul.
So say for example if
today’s prompt is ‘Bluetooth’ - give yourself 10 minutes of nonstop writing –
no stops; not for spellings, no error check, no typo check - just go ahead and
follow your thoughts, don’t question them - it’s a bit tough in the beginning
but easy as can be once you let your experiences and thoughts flow from the
prompt to a inner being that gives you those nuggets of thoughts.
Choose your prompt
Go ahead; choose your
object, for an early morning warm up (preferably) or a break time refresh.
Choose the first word in a book, dictionary, TV, newspaper heading, hoardings,
from snippets of conversation, online prompts (check objectwriting.com) and
then GO - without thinking about the topic or mulling about it. Let it just
flow!
Read this from
writersdigest.com for generating ideas for songs, the sense bound or object
writing through the senses technique is something i am truly inspired by "...anywhere
you go is okay. Try bouncing off of each sense-image to wherever else it might
take you, using each new sense-image as a sort of pivot to the next, a kind of
sensual free association. Always with your senses, all seven of them. All
within ten minutes. Don’t worry about story lines or “how it really happened.”
No rhyme or rhythm. Not even full sentences. No one needs to understand where
you are or how you got there. Save more focused writing for your songs.
Of course, instead of association, you certainly can stay within the framework
of a story or event if you like, like “Back Porch” above, but let your senses
drive the bus. As you remember the events, remember with your senses. How did
the park smell? Were children giggling over by the duck pond? Italian sausages
with steaming onions? Let us experience it too by engaging our senses;
stimulate us to see, smell, taste, hear, etc., to really experience the story
for ourselves.
Even more important,
your listeners will each fill your sense-bound words with their own sense
memories..."
Polish the gems!
Once you’ve finished
with the writing, then you proof it - underline the ideas, change, edit, add,
whatever to get the gems out of what you've written. You could find it giving
you concepts for ads or a story, a poem, a song - it could turn into
anything – just probe it later not when you’re writing.
Object writing is
developed by Pat Pattison the famous lyricist and poet and also a Professor of
song writing at Berkelee. He has taken this craft to another level to open up
creativity in every field. He also teaches at the Berkelee online Song writing
course!
You could join and
complete the courses you join or leave it anythime and enroll for another one.
The songwriting course opened to me new ideas and method of writing – I have paused the course for a
while and i do not know if i will rejoin at least until I learn a little of
Western Music. I have come a long way from just knowing what chords is to
actually playing a few basic ones. I feel empowered with all the online
learning art journaling, drawing, writing which have enriched me. These are my
mentors, guides, and I would say search and you will find!
But, we are digressing
– a habit I absorbed from my journaling practice with a timer set for ten
minutes or even five or just glimpsing at the clock!! This helps me in my work,
for sure, to get things out of my system instead of letting them steam inside.
So, it is therapeutic for sure! I feel anything is possible after all I did
write a story for kids ages 5-7. I think is the most difficult age to write
for.
So go ahead and try
Pat Pattison’s Object Writing method and unleash your creativity. I hope to get
my hands on 'Writing Better Lyrics' by Pat Pattison to hone my creative
writing.
Visit
http://objectwriting.com for prompts posted there (they're brilliant - the ones
i have loved reading is a guy with the user name pseudonym and many others who
weave magic with their words). Read the prompt 'youngster' here.
Tips
- You do not have to stick to
the prompt - digress all you want - here it is a plus and a bonus!
- The five senses apart let you
inner feelings when you say butterflies in my stomach, tight
knots. Play & have FUN!
- Use your perspective or
kinesthetic sense vis a vis the world around you (like you felt when you
spun around or were in a gut spinning ride or something as mundane as
brushing, combing!
- the essence is to get into a mode
of opening up your creative senses! Play and have FUN!!
Check the next post for the prompt 'Salmon' and Champagne a take – off from the
prompt salmon, birthday. After I wrote the prompt I polished it a bit to craft
it into flash fiction or short story. Sometimes I just underline key phrases,
words for future use. It takes time to get into the senses groove.
Back Porch
I must have been four. Memories from that time are a rare species—lobbing in
like huge bumblebees on transparent wings, buzzing old Remington shavers torn
free from those thick and brittle wires tangled in webs under our porch where I
loved to crawl and hide; black snaking wires disappearing up through floors and
humming into wall and socket. I still hear them.I hid under the back porch, smell of
damp summer earth cool under my hands, ducking, scrunching my shoulders tight
to avoid the rusty nails waiting patiently above for my back or skull to forget
them. The tingling along my back and neck kept reminding me, don’t stand
up.Under the back porch, a place tinged with danger and smelling of earth, the
air tastes faintly of mold and hollyhocks twining around the trellises that I
see only the bottoms of, speckled gold by the shafts of sun slipping through
high elm branches in the backyard, weaving shadows like Grandma’s lace dresser
doilies. When I squint, I can blur the sunlight into a bridge of green-gold.
Crouching there fetal and content, I could feel Mom above me, could hear her
high heels tap-tapping.
"As I drove up the incline of the bridge I began to feel ball
bearings running about in my stomach. I always get a little nervous being so
high, it's like being on top of a skyscraper. You feel yourself swaying in the
breeze and get that sense that you could almost fall over the edge. There's
also that fear that the whole bridge could just drop away, like a plane
dropping in turbulence". There! That was that a bit more engaging than
"I drove over the bridge" wasn't it!
PS Did i
mention use all seven senses as Pat Pattison says in his video.
Yeah I'm getting there! Post your comments.
