If your goal is to become a better writer, you need to practice. Here’s your writing assignment for today: set the timer and write for five minutes about your current location, then spend the next five minutes rewriting and editing.
Many writers struggle finding a subject to write about. That’s why having an assignment and a deadline, like this one, sometimes helps to break through the dreaded writer’s block and helps you gain momentum. Just asking a writer to “write about anything you like” can send many into complete paralysis. But tell that same writer to, “Give me 300 words on Nutella,” and they’re off and running. Use exercises like this one to help you get started on other writing projects.
In today’s assignment, set a timer and write for five minutes about your current location, then spend the next five minutes rewriting and editing. This works best if you can set a timer and write until the alarm.
Here’s my example:
It’s dark here in my office, but the light of my computer is all I need to write. Almost 10 A.M., but they’re calling for thundershowers, so without the overhead light on, it’s dark enough to nap.
The fish tank is due for a cleaning today, but I’m not sure if I’ll get to it. The water level is down by an inch and that makes the flow from the filter gurgle more loudly than if the tank was properly filled.
And the two Edward Tufte prints need to be re-hung and straightened. My wife moved a piece of wall art, that bronze sun with the candle, down to our sunroom. I’ve moved the Napoleon piece above the tank to replace it and moved the Soyuz print to the wall behind me where I sit at my desk (where the Napoleon print use to be). Both need a second hook and some balancing with the level.
And it’s time to deal with the mass of cords behind the iMac. Surely there’s a way to deal with it all, but with three external drives, a microphone, a wireless keyboard and mouse (both of which require a USB device), the USB hub, connections to the scanner, network, cable TV, and the gods knows what else, and it’s a tangled mess.
The whole thing, the room too, is ready for a thorough cleaning.
You may leave your completed assignment in the comments section below.
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