IDEAS A Definition

IDEAS  Ideas are the heart of any piece of writing. Ideas are about information. In a good creative piece, ideas paint pictures in a reader’s mind. In an informational piece, strong ideas make hard- to-penetrate text reader friendly. Two things make ideas work well: clarity and details. Good writing always makes sense.And it includes details- not just any old details, mind you, but those beyond-the-obvious bits of information that thoughtful, observant writers notice.

Where Do We Get Ideas?  Write one thing that happened this morning.  Write one thing that happened last month.  Write one thing that happened 2 to 3 years ago.  Write one thing that you have good memories about- a time, a place, an event.

I Remember  Fill in the following: 1) I remember ___________________ 2) I remember ___________________ 3) I remember ___________________ 4) I remember ___________________ 5) I remember ___________________ 6) I remember ___________________

Focusing the Binoculars  Author Barry Lane says the more we focus our mental “binoculars”, the more vivid the images become. Look at the following example- then try going from fuzzy to detailed in the samples that follow.

Focusing  Fuzzy: The woman looked kind of funny.  Detailed (binoculars fine tuned): Her felt hat, which was many sizes too large, covered all of her face except her chin. When she spoke, we could only see a small patch of white bobbing up and down under a large black lid.

Focusing  NOW YOU TRY: 1) His car was a mess. 2) The food did not look good to me. 3) That dog was mean. 4) Her shoes did not seem to fit.

Sensory Language  Think of your “special place”-  What sights, sounds, smells come to mind?  What do you notice that not everyone would?  What are the most striking details?

Sensory Language  Write one sentence for each sensory recollection:  I see _________________________  I hear ________________________  I smell ________________________  I taste ________________________  I feel _________________________

The Cliché Updated  Complete the following: 1) A rolling stone _______________ 2) The grass is always greener ______ 3) No news is ____________________ 4) It’s better to light one candle than to __ 5) We have nothing to fear but _________ 6) If you can’t stand the heat __________

Ideas Tips For Success 1) Be an observer. Notice the world around you. Learn to see what others miss. 2) Write small. Big topics get away from you and may become boring. 3) Pick your own topics. This is what real writers do. Be original.

TIPS 5) Don’t try to tell them too much. Think of writing as a kind of home movie on paper. Get to the point. Then, stop. 6) Don’t generalize. Words like good, fun, special and nice say nothing. They’re worse than nothing because they’re annoying. They make your readers do all the work.