Exercise 1

“A deadline is negative inspiration.

Still, it’s better than no inspiration at all.”

Rita Mae Brown

Exercise 1

SINGING IN THE SHOWER

Estimated time: 20 minutes (including shower time)

For: Anyone who wants clarity in their writing

Aim: To find inspiration in everyday life

It’s the everyday things we do that say so much about us. How we take a shower, what order we do things in the morning, all of these things are like mirrors into our soul. They show others (and ourselves) our motivations, our priorities, what we deem important in our lives. Therefore when writing, it’s the little things that can tell us so much about our characters and in fact, about us as people. 

Singing in the shower, the first exercise in the ‘Waiting for Inspiration to Strike’ series, is designed to start you looking at the world differently. There is so much inspiration all around you once you know where to look.

This exercise can be done day or night, whenever you take a shower really. It’s something you have to do anyway so there is no reason you can’t find time to complete this exercise.

It’s up to you whether you write down your observations (or internal monologues) in this exercise. It does help if you can write it down but what is more important, is to gain a different perspective on things.  

                Step One: As you take your shower, take a look at the soap in the soap holder

                (If you only have shower gel that will do just fine)

                What is the state of the soap? Is it hotel fresh? Is it slowly deteriorating?

                Is it a generic brand?

                Is it half empty? Is it particularly placed? So much so, you’d be afraid to move it?

Now see it through someone else’s eyes.

Someone who is visiting for the first time, who doesn’t know you very well choose from the following perspectives:

a)      A one night stand 

b)      A visiting relative

c)       A friend who is obsessed with cleaning

What can we learn from this small observation? Is our person disgusted? Freaked out by the orderliness? The lack of clutter? The fact the soap looks like it’s been there a thousand years? Think and write in the 3^rd person.