In last week’s vlog, I had you sketch out your childhood street and home.
If you haven’t yet watched that vlog, which uses Eating an Elephant’s Bite #118, and completed the exercise, you may want to do so before watching this session.
This week’s episode #134 takes it a step further by using those drawings to spark a story.
I shared how my own sketch triggered tons of memories like climbing the roots of two ancient oak trees, selling backyard pecans, and my cat getting stuck in a tree for days. My poor dad had to cut it down to rescue him and calm his hysterical daughter.
Now it’s your turn! Look over your map and list a few story ideas. Pick two or three related memories, find a common thread, and write a first draft—all in forty-five minutes or less. No stopping to edit! Just capture the story.
When you’re done, post your rough draft for extra credit or polish it up a bit before sharing.
And if I can share my pitiful drawing, I hope you’ll share yours as well. Thankfully, this exercise isn’t about being an artist. It’s about doing what you already do well—write!
But always remember, the only way to do this wrong is not to do it at all. Happy writing, everybody!
My Favorite Childhood Haunt My favorite childhood haunt, hands down, had to be the big log, the one I watched my dad drag onto our property with his boom truck. This happened in full view of my sister’s and my bedroom window. After it was discovered to be too large to fit on our dad’s sawmill, our creativity swung into action. Depending on our mood, the log became our whaling ship, sailing the high seas, our trusty steed as we rambled the Wild West, or the lone wall for our playhouse. We dragged a discarded warming oven of a cookstove… Read more »