A Winter Writing Exercise

 

Nighttime in Prague

Description is such a big part of writing well. If we merely report what happened, but give no indication of when, where, what, images, weather, feelings and more, our piece ends up being exactly that--a report. You can give a report to your boss at work using simple language and not embellishing it in any way. Just the facts, and that's fine.

In creative writing, it's a whole different story. Take a look at today's photo. It's a nighttime picture of Prague, Perhaps on Christmas Eve. It begs for description when you write about the photo and what it depicts. 

Here's a list of words that came to mind when I studied the scene: 

A. silent

B. snowy

C. frigid

D. slippery

E. darkness

F. lamplight

G. stone wall

H. tall trees

I. dome

J. city buildings

K. night sky

L. street lamps

M. distant light

N. softness

O. chill

P. footprints

Q. hill

R. steep

S. winter

T. peace

U. cold

V. icy

W. shine

X. roof

Y. windows

Z. weather

How about that? I found 26 words for the 26 letters in our alphabet. Challenge yourself to do the same. With the photo for today, or one of your own choosing. As you study the scene, and the words come to mind, perhaps a story idea will also evolve. Use your list of words to either write a story or only a few paragraphs describing the scene. Note that I suggested you 'study' the scene. A mere glance won't bring much. 

There are so many photos online for you to use. It's an easy and productive winter writing exercise. Give it a try!