Tuesday, February 4, 2014

A Snowy Day--Perfect For A Writing Exercise and Other Stuff




We're having a snowy day here in mid-central Kansas with a prediction of ten inches by tonight. The snow started silently around 4 a.m. today while most of us were sleeping. We're not alone. The numerous snow and ice storms of this 2013-14 winter have spread over a vast area of the USA. It appears for some areas that no sooner do the people dig out and start normal life again that another storm blows its way across the mountains and plains up to the Great Lakes and on to the east coast. Spring seems light years away.

Snowstorms have the power to disrupt life as we know it. Schools close, businesses sometimes shut down, meetings are cancelled, travelers run into huge problems and grocery stores are a madhouse with shoppers stocking up prior to the big event. Depends on what part of the country you live in as to how panic-driven the shoppers are. 

I like to spend some time in the kitchen baking on snowy days like this. I've been wanting to try a couple new recipes and this is the perfect time. I have a story I've been working on so this afternoon would be an ideal time to continue. Of course, there are many books stacked up waiting for me to read. You may notice that housework is not among the things I've listed to do on a snowy day. Nope--gonna save that for a regular kind of day. 

Today is the perfect moment to use the pictures above to write a poem, a piece of fiction, or a creative nonfiction story that deals with a snowy day. What are some good adjectives to describe snow, or even a blizzard? Can you add tension to what you've written? Will you concentrate on sensory details? Can you convey either the beauty or the danger of a day like this? Can you go on a rant about the weather? Can you write a warm, fuzzy story? Did you ever experience a disaster during a snowstorm? There are so many different directions you can go. Study the pictures here, then search your memory bank before you begin to write. 

2 comments:

  1. Thanks, Nancy. I've been looking out the window at the veil of snow coming down and thinking about how I could turn that scene into a poem. Your pictures are evocative.

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  2. Thanks for your comment. When I see natural beauty such as a snow scene, it always stirs my muse. It also makes me wish I had some artistic ability and could capture the picture forever on canvas. Instead, I'll paint with words.

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