But it does bring me to the subject of this post. I don't notice dust, but I do notice many other details beyond what is noted under normal attention. I've always been this way. Sorry, Mom. :) My training as a writer has intensified it. Sorry, Husband. :) Specificity makes language, at a minimum, more memorable and at best, beautiful.
Example 1A - a red sedan
Example 1B - a burgundy Crown Vic
==> more memorable
Example 2A - tan spots
Example 2B - speckled faintly as a bird's egg
==> beautiful, right?
"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.... Brown paper packages tied up with string. These are few of my favorite things." Listening to that song as a child I was jealous that the songwriter had noticed all those cool things that I had only seen theretofore as mundane. Maybe that was when my eye for detail was born.
Writing has taught me not only how to articulate my imagery specifically, but to see the world with a keener eye as well. Think about all the beauty that you can see, all that you can be grateful for if you lower your radar. I am far from perfect at it. Your friend, MM Finck, is an extremely tasky, tunnel-visioned chick. But I try. Considering what comprises my own list of favorite things is a cherished driving-by-myself past time. Here's what I came up today with while I drove alone (ahhhh... driving alone. One of my very favorite things.) next to green pastures on two-lane Virginia roads.
MM'S FAVORITE THINGS, a lifelong work-in-progress
- The glow that emanates from everything green right after the rain before the sun has cleared away the clouds.
- Dilapidated barns and houses, old brick foundations, etc. I collect discarded wooden shutters and hang them in my house like art.
- When I pass a house built alongside the road and I can see through the front and back windows to the sparkling river behind it.
- The fuzz of a baby's head tickling my nose when I caress it with my cheek. (I limit myself to one baby-related thing. Too easy to get tunnel vision. I love babies with a ferocity they could name addictions after. :))
- Weather that permits long sleeved shirts and shorts. It is rare where I live and so a gift each time.
- The soft crunchy feel of new carpet under my feet.
- The annual surprise when perennial flowers come into bloom.
- Warm doughy bread.
- The certainty after only a few notes or lines that I am hearing a song that will soon become my new crush.
- A great mix tape.
- When I turn the last page of a book and my heart and soul swell to push at the outer boundaries of my being. The need to force the book into the hands of everyone I know and meet.
Do you want to try it too? Yes, do it! Email it to me. Comment here. Post it on facebook. Tweet. Whatev. It helps foster gratitude and positivity, and who can't use a big more of that, right? Plus, it's a fun party game. :) Try it! Try it! One or ten! However many.
No fair using obvious things like the beach. If you want to use that, get smaller, way way smaller. A sea shell clutched in your palm, its ridges pressing into the meat of your fingers. It doesn't have to be pretty writing. You can just say sea shells. But try to think about the specifics of why they are one of your favorite things. Don't be shy. You never know. It could show up in one of my characters!
Take care, everyone! Comment, email, share, post, etc. Can't wait to hear from you! <3
~MM
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