Practice exercises: Playing with your senses.

1.         Meditate this question - Do you think one of your senses is more developed than others? How do you perceive things through it? Tell a story based on how you perceive things particularly, or choosing one specific sense that you enjoy (sound, sight, touch, smell, or taste). Would you want to nourish other senses? Now move on to the next exercise:

2.         Table of senses - Prepare the following game, or better yet, ask a friend to help you, this way it will be more fun. Put different foods on the table (sour, sweet, salty, bitter, etc.), as well as objects (with different textures: soft, harsh, coarse, etc.) Make sure they are interesting, since you have to describe them with your senses. Put on a blindfold, and touch the food and objects, then describe what you feel; taste the food as well. Try to make sounds with them. Smell them. Describe everything you can. You can record your words so you don't forget them or get distracted by writing them. Finally, describe them visually. Careful! Don't use bugs, or anything that might hurt your dignity, as some people do on certain TV shows. It's all about finding the literary meaning in things. It's not about being vulgar or ridiculous.

3.         Become an observer: imagine that you are in a bar and hear an argument (even if you don't hear what they say), ask yourself: what is the relation between these people? Who might have started the argument? What could their points of view be? What arguments are they using to defend themselves? How long have they known each other? What features capture your attention the most? Is that useful for a story? Would they be fitting characters for a different story you thought of? How would everything end? And anything else you can imagine. Remember to record smells, colors, and EVERYTHING that captures your attention.