Lively Language

7/27/2019 Lively Language

1/21

I remember

Write lots of small memories, exploring the emotionsassociated with those memories

Be specific

Freewriting


2/21

Choose one sentence that doesnt seem to fit what

you meant. Copy it on a new line

Circle the word(s)/phrase(s) that dont fit your meaning

Freewrite, trying to explain what you really wanted to

say Now, rewrite the sentence


3/21

They went out through the revolving doors that made afaintly derisive whistling sound when you pushed them. Itwas two blocks to the parking lot. At the drugstroe on thecorner she said, Wait here for me. I forgot something. Iwont be a minute. She was more than a minute. WalterMitty lighted a cigarette. It began to rain, rain with sleet init. He stood up against the wall of the drugstore,smokingHe put his shoulders back and his heelstogether. To hell with the handkerchief, said Walter

Mitty scornfully. He took one last drag on his cigarette andsnapped it away. Then, with that faint, fleeting smileplaying about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect andmotionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty theUndefeated, inscrutable to the last.

From The Secret Life of WalterMitty by James Thurber


4/21

In this by-place of nature there abode, some thirty years since, aworthy wight of the name of Ichabod Crane, a native ofConnecticut, who "tarried" in Sleepy Hollow for the purpose ofinstructing the children of the vicinity. He was tall andexceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs,hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, and feet that mighthave served for shovels. His head was small, and flat at top, withhuge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that

it looked like a weathercock perched upon his spindle neck, totell which way the wind blew. To see him striding along on awindy day, with his clothes bagging and fluttering about him,one might have mistaken him for some scarecrow eloped from acornfield.

From Sleepy Hollow


5/21

pg. 1 You always know after you are two. Two is the

beginning of the end. pg.2 Mr. Darling was frightfully proud of her, but he

was very honorable, and he sat on the edge of Mrs.Darling's bed, holding her hand and calculating

expenses, while she looked at him imploringly. pg 181 The bearded man who doesn't know any story

to tell his children was once John.

From Peter Pan


6/21

"I mean they don't seem able to love us just the way

we are. They don't seem able to love us unless theycan keep changing us a little bit. They love theirreasons for loving us almost as much as they love us,and most of the time more."

From Teddy by J.D. Salinger


7/21

I found Simon Wheeler dozing comfortably by the barroom stove of the

old, dilapidated tavern in the ancient mining camp of Angel's, and I noticedthat he was fat and bald-headed, and had an expression of winninggentleness and simplicity upon his tranquil countenance.

He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and said he cal'klated toedercate him; and so he never done nothing for three months but set in hisback yard and learn that frog to jump.

Why, I've seen him set Dan'l Webster down here on this floorDan'lWebster was the name of the frogand sing out, "Flies, Dan'l, flies!" andquicker'n you could wink, he'd spring straight up, and snake a fly off'n thecounter there, and flop down on the floor again as solid as a gob of mud,and fall to scratching the side of his head with his hind foot as indifferent asif he hadn't no idea he'd been doin' any more'n any frog might do.

Mark Twain's The Celebrated JumpingFrog of Calaveras County.


8/21

Language comes alive through vivid detail

Use all five senses, not just sight Sight

Touch

Taste

Smell

Sound


9/21

I can remember the tail slapping and banging and

the thwart breaking and the noise of theclubbing...and the noise of you clubbing him likechopping a tree down (12)

From The Old Man and the Sea


10/21

When the wind was in the east a smell came across

the harbor from the shark factory; but today therewas only the faint edge of the odour because thewind had backed into the north and then droppedoff (11-12).



11/21

He chewed it and noted its quality and itsgood taste. It was firm and juicy, like meat,but it was not red. There was no stringiness init and he knew it would bring the highest price

in the market (106).



12/21

Here he describes a Portuguese man-of-war the old man

sees: the purple, formalized, iridescent, gelatinousbladder of a Portuguese man-of-war floating close besidethe boat. It turned on it side and then righted itself. Itfloated cheerfully as a bubble with its long deadly purplefilaments trailing a yard behind it in the water (35).

Heres another vivid image: they passed a great island ofSargasso weed that heaved and swung in the light sea asthough the ocean were making love with something undera yellow blanket (72).



13/21

Dont say fruit

Say Pomegranate

Learn the names of things around youplants,flowers, tools, etc.

Dont say, The house smelled good

The house smelled of Pine-Sol and baked bread

Be specific!


14/21

Details from things you have experienced

Transplant to other locations

AKA use the layout of a store youve been to, todescribe a fictional store

Original detail


15/21

What one or two details will render the rest of the

room for the reader?

The right detail


16/21

Verbs and nouns are the strongest

Use active verbs

Use specific nouns

Use adjectives sparingly

Use adverbs even less

Word choice


17/21

Group 1: Aquarius Try to take greater care today --

especially when you're handling work or businessinteractions. It's not that you are at great risk,simply that you are more likely to spot flaws now.

Group 2: Scorpio Can you keep a secret? You

certainly think you can. And that talent is sure to betested more than once today. Try to ensure thatyou speak only to the right people throughout theday.

Horoscopes


18/21

Begin with a simple sentence of action and write a

paragraph that provides a richness of concrete detailto show the meaning of the sentence

He was afraid of the dark.

He fell and assessed the damage.

The men looked me over.

She was cleaning the birds.

Elaborating sentences


19/21

This is an object of great importance to someone.

Write a paragraph describing the object as sensuous, beautiful, tempting

Write a paragraph describing it through details that make it seem repellent


20/21

Describe a barn as seen by a man whose son has

just been killed in a war. Do not mention the

son, or war, or death.


21/21

Read A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by

Gabriel Garca Mrquez Email me 3-4 pages of your stories/a summary by

Friday, October 11

Next week:

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Lively Language