Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Stop,Look and Write

This is another exercise from Hart Day Leavitt and David A. Sohn's book, "Stop, Look and Write" that can help develop both observational and descriptive skills.
  1. Find a picture that has interesting shapes and forms.
  2. Write phrases or short sentences describing several of the more prominent shapes and forms.
  3. Arrange them together as a poem.


Cylinders of motion
carry the side saddler to the ramp
across shiny slick rectangles,
past the still sfumato of bars and branches

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Carol - I had to look up sfumato (Sfumato is a term used by Leonardo da Vinci to refer to a painting technique which overlays translucent layers of color to create perceptions of depth, volume and form.)

If I can find a good photo, I'm going to do this one.

Carol said...

I hope you find a photo that inspires you, Barbara.

Viamarie said...

Thanks for dropping by. This sounds interesting. Will try to look for a photo but I'm not too sure about writing a poem. I am not good at it.

Happy Wednesday!

Chris Beason said...

That makes my head spin! I can't figure out how some of us it clicks for and some of us (like me) it doesn't. I failed miserably at creative writing in school...but it didn't stop me from writing!

Pat Paulk said...

Carol I too had to look up sfumato, love the word!! Like the poem too!!

Carol said...

You never know Viamaraie and Annette, give it a try.
Remember April is National Poetry Month.

Thanks Pat,
Sfumato is one of my favorite words from art school.

Hi Mommy@home,
Poetry surrounds us, we just have to capture it.

FRIDAY'S CHILD said...

Very nice info. Will try it myself someday.

Kai said...

hey carol,

thanks for stopping by...
i think i've done this exercise
b4...
that poem that u read on my blog is kinda similar to this exercise..

Carol said...

Good,Friday's Child,

Kai,
I thought the same when I read your poem.

Anonymous said...

Carol, we should call your blog, "How To Break Writer's Block the Carol Way".:) You've got lots of great poetry-writing ideas on your blog this month.

Carol said...

What an idea, Aurora!