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writercises Original Posting June 28, 2018
Some years ago, on TV, I saw a gentleman teaching drawing. He said that most people tell him they cannot draw, however, he had a simple technique which he said usually resulted in surprisingly good drawings. Then he demonstrated the technique with some students. He took a picture of someone's head, a typical portrait, and asked the students to draw it.
However, instead of showing them the portrait in the normal position, he turned it upside down. So the picture was someone standing on their head.
Oddly enough, this simple change resulted in surprisingly good drawings! The students were surprised at how easily they could draw this portrait standing on its head.
The teacher explained that he thought most people can't really see the picture because they know what they are looking at. They have an image, a model, an idea of what they're looking at, and they can't really see what is in front of them. However, turning it upside down breaks that barrier and forces them to really look at what is there.
So what does that have to do with writing? Well, all too often, I think our characters, our plots, our settings… We can't see them because the tropes, the mental models, our expectations of what we are looking at get in the way.
So, stand on your head. Then write. Break through those tired old cliches and tropes and expectations, look at what is in front of you with new eyes, and... write about it!
You might be surprised at what you will see, once you stand on your head to look!
Write?
Some years ago, on TV, I saw a gentleman teaching drawing. He said that most people tell him they cannot draw, however, he had a simple technique which he said usually resulted in surprisingly good drawings. Then he demonstrated the technique with some students. He took a picture of someone's head, a typical portrait, and asked the students to draw it.
However, instead of showing them the portrait in the normal position, he turned it upside down. So the picture was someone standing on their head.
Oddly enough, this simple change resulted in surprisingly good drawings! The students were surprised at how easily they could draw this portrait standing on its head.
The teacher explained that he thought most people can't really see the picture because they know what they are looking at. They have an image, a model, an idea of what they're looking at, and they can't really see what is in front of them. However, turning it upside down breaks that barrier and forces them to really look at what is there.
So what does that have to do with writing? Well, all too often, I think our characters, our plots, our settings… We can't see them because the tropes, the mental models, our expectations of what we are looking at get in the way.
So, stand on your head. Then write. Break through those tired old cliches and tropes and expectations, look at what is in front of you with new eyes, and... write about it!
You might be surprised at what you will see, once you stand on your head to look!
Write?