Written As A He
Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter’s — Fiction prompts
Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter — What if? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers prompts —
The Exercise:
Write a page in the first person, assuming the voice of someone of the opposite gender. This can be a description, a narrative, or a segment of autobiography. The main point is to completely lose yourself and become another.
The Objective:
To learn how to draw convincing verbal portraits of characters different from yourself and to make them sympathetic, rounded, and complex, even though you don’t especially “like” them or admire what they represent.
What else can I say, I’m in love. I really don’t know if she feels the same way I do, but that is okay. I will do my best to sweep her off her feet. And hey, we are partners in pickleball, and I know she loves pickleball.
She is perfect for me. She is lively and fun. She enjoys all that I do. We are both hockey fans and baseball fans. Our football teams are different, but does that really matter, afterall our politics are the same.
She loves family and brings her niece and nephews to watch pickleball. She thinks they will love it too. Like I said, what else can I say but we are perfect for each other. I just hope she can see it that way.
I called her to wish her a good day, and she told me to have a good day. Then I babbled something about getting together, maybe, later today. She agreed, and it made my day. I am falling hard for this girl, I must say.
I wonder if it is too soon to bring her flowers, maybe from my garden. We can get dinner, watch a game, the local sports are good and then who knows, I can dream, can’t I…
About the Creator
Denise E Lindquist
I am married with 7 children, 28 grands, and 13 great-grandchildren. I am a culture consultant part-time. I write A Poem a Day in February for 8 years now. I wrote 4 - 50,000 word stories in NaNoWriMo. I write on Vocal/Medium daily.
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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.
By Denise E Lindquist4 months ago in Writers
An Envelope Full of Memories
I’m back with more writing adventures from my youth! It feels light and crisp in my hands. The paper is slightly wrinkled and yellowed with age… and there’s a weird stain in the top left corner. Inside it is a little window to a younger me.
By Sandy Gillman7 days ago in Writers
Comments (5)
I love how well you followed the exercise. Where are you getting the writing exercises from? I would be eager to try them myself!
Oh, you did so well, Denise. Enjoyed this short <3
I can so relate to these feelings. There is something about that initial love rush, even if it flickers out like a lost flame.
Hahahahahaha well I hope luck ia on his side. Loved this!
You found 'The One' dude good going. Great job A+.