writercises | EXERCISE: Imagine that! (Reply)

Original posting 17 September 2008

You remember the advice given to Alice? Practice imagining six impossible things before breakfast? This reminds me of that.

From What If? by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter, p.126 Stranger Than Truth

The Exercise

"A man is having an affair with his secretary. He goes to bed with her in a motel room. When he wakes up in the morning he's in the same motel room but the woman next to him is his wife."

They suggest writing up a couple pages of dialogue, with a few lines of action. Hold the description, assume it's already in place. Personally, I'd suggest go ahead and write the tale. But at the very least, put us in the motel room where the man has just woken to a mystery.

The purpose of this, by the way, is to get exercise -- practice -- at imagining an improbable scene and bringing it to life. This is a separate issue from making a story.

Go ahead. Write it up. Feel free to try some variations -- a comic approach, a tragic swerve, maybe something from the Outer Limits? You might even consider the simple linguistic switch, pointing out that sometimes a secretary is a wife, too? and then there's ... yep, make a list of variations and play that wordy tune again, Sam.

(and remember, Halloweenie Horrors are coming soon to a mailing list near you :-)