Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "halloween"
Writing Exercise: Favorite Halloween Costume
It’s October again, which means Halloween will be top of mind for millions over the next several weeks. One of the primary aspects of the holiday – other than candy – is dressing up in costume. And that’s where our writing exercise focuses today.
An Autobiographical Sketch
Pick a costume from your past or your child’s past. It’s even better if you have a photo of the costume available to use as a reference. Write a paragraph detailing why this costume was chosen, what you liked about it, and what the reception was from those who saw you in it. Be descriptive as possible. Make the reader feel like they are experiencing this Halloween costume and all its emotional connections with you as they read.
This can be either in the past or present tense.
Details Count
Once you’ve done that, it’s time to do some detail digging. We know from the initial paragraph how you chose the costume, but did you go into detail using the five senses?
Write a paragraph about how the costume felt, sounded when you walked, smelled – if it was store-bought, it might have had a plasticky smell from the bag it came in – and if you wore face paint or makeup, what that tasted like.
Drawing a picture with words is a great way to practice showing and not telling in your writing.
A Matter of Perspective
Finally, write a paragraph from your first-person perspective about your experience wearing the costume to school, work, or a party. How did you feel? How did others react? How did the environment change how you acted while in your costume?
If it was your kid’s costume or someone else’s, write from the third-person perspective about your initial reactions to seeing the costume and how the person acted within their environment.
But What If I…
If you don’t celebrate Halloween or dress up, no worries. You can do the same exercises, but imagine yourself in a costume you find and write a fictional account of your experiences.
Final Thoughts
Using details, showing and not telling, and using different POVs to tell a story, you can find new ways to engage your readers and give them fresh perspectives on familiar things.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
An Autobiographical Sketch
Pick a costume from your past or your child’s past. It’s even better if you have a photo of the costume available to use as a reference. Write a paragraph detailing why this costume was chosen, what you liked about it, and what the reception was from those who saw you in it. Be descriptive as possible. Make the reader feel like they are experiencing this Halloween costume and all its emotional connections with you as they read.
This can be either in the past or present tense.
Details Count
Once you’ve done that, it’s time to do some detail digging. We know from the initial paragraph how you chose the costume, but did you go into detail using the five senses?
Write a paragraph about how the costume felt, sounded when you walked, smelled – if it was store-bought, it might have had a plasticky smell from the bag it came in – and if you wore face paint or makeup, what that tasted like.
Drawing a picture with words is a great way to practice showing and not telling in your writing.
A Matter of Perspective
Finally, write a paragraph from your first-person perspective about your experience wearing the costume to school, work, or a party. How did you feel? How did others react? How did the environment change how you acted while in your costume?
If it was your kid’s costume or someone else’s, write from the third-person perspective about your initial reactions to seeing the costume and how the person acted within their environment.
But What If I…
If you don’t celebrate Halloween or dress up, no worries. You can do the same exercises, but imagine yourself in a costume you find and write a fictional account of your experiences.
Final Thoughts
Using details, showing and not telling, and using different POVs to tell a story, you can find new ways to engage your readers and give them fresh perspectives on familiar things.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Writing Exercise of the Week: What’s Your Favorite Holiday?
There are a lot of holidays on the calendar these days. Aside from the big ones like Easter and Christmas, it seems as if each day has some designated event associated with it, whether it’s official or not. Did you know that January 29 is Puzzle Day, March 19th is Let’s Laugh Day, and June 7 is VCR Day? I’ve provided a link to the list at the end of this post.
With official and unofficial holidays in mind, let’s get to today’s writing exercise!
Exercise # 1 - Pick Your Favorite Holiday
The sky’s the limit on which to pick, but pick one you get excited about celebrating. Make a list of five to ten things that you like about the holiday. It could be food, decorations, the people you see, the weather, etc.
Now, using the first-person POV, write a few paragraphs describing your ideal moment during this holiday in detail. If it’s Christmas, maybe it’s your kids opening presents Christmas morning. If it’s Halloween, perhaps it’s handing out candy and seeing the various costumes.
Whatever moment you choose, go into detail and use your five senses.
What do you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell during this particular holiday moment?
How do these positive emotions impact how you write about your chosen holiday?
Exercise #2 - Pick Your Least Favorite Holiday
Everyone has that one holiday they can’t stand, and now is your time to rant about why you dislike it so much. List five to ten things you dislike about your chosen holiday.
Again, using the first-person POV, pick a moment during that hated holiday and write a few paragraphs describing in detail why you feel this way. This is for your eyes only, so let the disdain flow from your fingers as you describe everything you can’t stand about this awful holiday in detail.
Maybe you can’t stand Halloween because of all the violence and gore around. Perhaps you don’t like New Year’s Eve because the fireworks and loud noises bother your pets. Whatever the reasons, craft a detailed story where you discuss the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and tactile aspects of the holiday that you can’t stand.
How do these negative emotions impact how you write about your chosen holiday?
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Check out the link for a list of annual unofficial holidays.
With official and unofficial holidays in mind, let’s get to today’s writing exercise!
Exercise # 1 - Pick Your Favorite Holiday
The sky’s the limit on which to pick, but pick one you get excited about celebrating. Make a list of five to ten things that you like about the holiday. It could be food, decorations, the people you see, the weather, etc.
Now, using the first-person POV, write a few paragraphs describing your ideal moment during this holiday in detail. If it’s Christmas, maybe it’s your kids opening presents Christmas morning. If it’s Halloween, perhaps it’s handing out candy and seeing the various costumes.
Whatever moment you choose, go into detail and use your five senses.
What do you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell during this particular holiday moment?
How do these positive emotions impact how you write about your chosen holiday?
Exercise #2 - Pick Your Least Favorite Holiday
Everyone has that one holiday they can’t stand, and now is your time to rant about why you dislike it so much. List five to ten things you dislike about your chosen holiday.
Again, using the first-person POV, pick a moment during that hated holiday and write a few paragraphs describing in detail why you feel this way. This is for your eyes only, so let the disdain flow from your fingers as you describe everything you can’t stand about this awful holiday in detail.
Maybe you can’t stand Halloween because of all the violence and gore around. Perhaps you don’t like New Year’s Eve because the fireworks and loud noises bother your pets. Whatever the reasons, craft a detailed story where you discuss the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and tactile aspects of the holiday that you can’t stand.
How do these negative emotions impact how you write about your chosen holiday?
---
Check out the link for a list of annual unofficial holidays.
