First Writing Class: Part 2

The first class was getting to know each other; names, brief histories, course ground rules (we are not here to write a magnum opus!), etc. The first exercise was ‘clinical description’. The idea was trying to capture the person in front of you without using prose or fancy images to evoke feelings. So it was just a matter of describing features. At first, I thought it was a pointless exercise until I found out that I couldn’t get it on my first try. My first attempt resulted in only three. That’s when I discovered that I really don’t pay attention to details, which is alarming for a writer. I only pay attention to some details, and the rest is a wash over of what I feel about a person or an object. This approach is very useful for evoking feelings in writing, but if I need basic details to ground a reader in a setting, or if I want a reader to understand the physicality of a person, I can’t convey it. This got me thinking back to Danielle Dyal commenting on my book. In some cases, she didn’t feel grounded in a setting and I finally understand why. It took a simple exercise to reveal that I lack a basic skill. It’s like I can run but I can’t walk.

But fear not, fellow writers, this can be fixed! The homework assignment is to describe a room in the house with as much clinical detail as possible in 250-300 words. It must be clinical and structured in order orient a reader in the setting. If I get it right, a reader should be able to imagine the room based on my description without having to fill in the blanks. As our instructor said, this isn’t how he expects us to write our stories, but we should be able to do it should it be necessary.

I’ll let you know after the evaluation next week how it went.