Monday, March 02, 2009

WAG: The Sky's the Limit

Today's WAG Adventure: The Sky's the Limit. "Describe the sky exactly as you see it. Use concrete words, no flowery language or metaphor. The idea is to let the physical speak for itself and to train us to be able to create the idea of “peaceful”, “beautiful”, “amazing” without using those kinds of empty words that tell the reader how to feel. Keep it real. No aliens or imaginings or memories. This is an observational exercise!"

The sky today is overcast with white and gray clouds. If I didn’t know they were clouds, I might think the sky itself was white fusing into darker hues at a distance. But there are hints of blue here and there as I pan to the North, reminding me of the sky’s native color. The white dissipates to blue, as if an artist had taken a soft sponge and dabbed a blue canvas with white cotton. I squint to take it all in because, while it isn’t bright, there is a glare. The sun cannot be ignored, even on overcast days.

Okay, so it's hard for me to write without using at least one simile! So perhaps I failed my assignment. Oh wait! It's not an assignment. It's an adventure.

7 comments:

Criss L. Cox said...

Similes are allowed, but generic bland words aren't.

Good description! I kind of rambled on about anything and everything except the sky on mine... it's a good thing this adventure doesn't have rules!

Carver said...

I had to laugh that it wasn't an assignment but an adventure. I could picture the sky from your description.

Jen said...

Hiya! I got your message about the new blog and the writers group. I will have to check it out. I'm about to "launch" the new book here (by Monday, let's hope) but maybe after that.

Anonymous said...

Eeps! I have added your adventure to the list. I'm sorry it wasn't on there earlier. Next time, please email me the link, because I'm far too scatterbrained to keep track otherwise. Hee.

Wonderful description though! You did a marvellous job conveying mood.

I've also added the next adventure instructions to the list of everyone's for this time.
http://www.nixyvalentine.com/index.php/2009/03/writing-adventure-group-1-the-sky/

Anonymous said...

Lovely. Thanks for the post on my blog. Do you know the Shenandoah Valley?

Anonymous said...

I really liked the bit about artists dabbing with cotton, tells me exactly what those clouds looked like. And I liked how you mentioned the glare of the sun even on an overcast day, it really captures the quality of the light.

Nancy J. Parra said...

Very nice- love "not an assignment but an adventure."