Notebook Entries

Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter — What if? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers prompts —

The Exercise:

Write one page a day. Concentrate on observation and description, not feeling. For example, if you receive a letter, the ordinary reaction is to write in the diary, “I received a letter that made me happy.” (or sad). Instead, describe the size of the envelope, the quality of the paper, and what the stamps looked like.

Keep your diary without using the verb to be. Forms of the verb to be don’t create any vivid images. By avoiding its use, you get into the habit of choosing more interesting verbs. You’ll also be more accurate. For example, some people will say “John Smith is a really funny guy,” when what they really mean is “John Smith makes me laugh,” or “I like John Smith’s sense of humor.”

Experiment with sentence length. Keep the diary for a week in sentences of ten words or less. Then try writing each day’s account in a single sentence. Avoid use of “and” to connect the long sentence; try out other conjunctions.

Switch your diary to third person for a while, so that instead of writing I, you can write about he or she. Then, try mixing the point of view. Start the day in third person and switch into first person to comment on the action. By interspersing first and third-person points of view, you can experiment with stream of consciousness and the interior monologue.

Try keeping your diary in an accent — first the accent of somebody who is learning how to write English, then the accent of somebody learning to speak English.

Keep it in baby talk; Baby want. Baby hurt. Baby want food. Baby want love. Baby walk.

Try making lists for a diary entry — just a record of the nouns of that day: toothbrush, coffee, subway tokens, schoolbooks, gym shoes.

The Objective:

To enhance your powers of observation and description without having to juggle the demands of characterization and plot.

One page of one week of tea drinking:

Saturday: I tried raspberry hibiscus tea latte today, when driving to the celebration of life for Lee. It was warm going down, smooth, and creamy, with a bit of raspberry cream flavor. I did ask that they put a splash of cream in there.

Can I ever order plain raspberry hibiscus hot tea again? Am I hooked on tea latte after just one? We shall see, I guess.

Sunday: I ordered a raspberry hibiscus latte today. They gave me a black coffee. What? I couldn’t believe it! I went right back there and got the tea latte. It was good, but I didn’t ask for the splash of cream, so it wasn’t as good. Okay, so maybe it is the cream. I should try that. Raspberry hibiscus with cream.

Tuesday: Today, I ordered a raspberry hibiscus tea latte. I got a plain raspberry hibiscus hot tea. I stopped back later that day. My next tea latte was free.

Thursday:

Baby want tea with cream. Baby want raspberry tea latte. Baby only drink tea with cream.

She really may be addicted to raspberry hibiscus tea latte? Is it possible it is the green tea she is drinking? She allowed that because that is the only tea that she can have at the place where she buys her bacon, gouda soufflé.

Try making a list of some of the nouns for a diary entry —

Tea, cream, baby, raspberry, latte, hibiscus, drinking, hot tea, bacon, gouda, soufflé.

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First published by Mercury Press on medium.com