Saturday, October 8, 2011

"I've Got My Eye On You"

I have another writing exercise for you! In Gail Carson Levine's book on how to write, there was a passage when she listed ideas for writing. I chose one idea and just went with it, writing what I could before the person noticed what I was doing. The idea was that I should study a stranger and write how I perceive him. This is supposed to be a practice that would assist me in developing my skills of characterization. Anyway, there was a boy who is my friend's little brother, so of course I had to study him. I have always wondered who he was, and when I saw his last name, I knew I had to study this stranger. 



He looks just like his brother, same delicate eyes, same crooked nose, same hesitant smile. Quiet. Unsure. Only he was the one who had to try harder. He wasn't what his brother was. His solitude was born from a beauty of the unsatisfied. Too big, too unspoken,too unique. In a society today that strives for individuality, it condemns those who achieve it. He lumbers toward me, polite and with purpose. "Excuse me," a husky voice implies. He reaches past me, sharpens his pencil, the point still dull when he is finished.
I've studied his academic past in his classes and I've graded his papers, each problem done to perfection. Yet not one ounce of real enthusiasm ever crosses his face. There's something more to him that I must discover.

**At this point he had noticed me staring at him and writing, so I had to stop before he asked me to explain...how can one explain that without sounding potentially creepy? 


That's all I have for today, but I will keep this updated with my new writing exercises! Always remember, keep writing! 

2 comments:

  1. Now I'm interested in trying to make him enthusiastic...

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  2. Haha, I predicted you would take this post as a challenge.

    ReplyDelete