17 September 2009

30 Words

"Brevity is the soul of wit."
~William Shakespeare

I am drawn to those who are so present in the moment.
I am usually much more wordy and find it hard to edit myself.
I am interested in trying something new {and very hard} for me.
I want to focus my writing and especially get more into the poetry of my prose.

Therefore, I resolve to pen 30 Word Thursdays.

This experiment is inspired by writer Clare Grant from the UK who writes two blogs that I follow: Three Beautiful Things where she writes about three things that brought her joy each day; and Once Around The Park where she writes a focused observation about her daily walk around Tunbridge Wells park. She is brilliant!

I like the idea of focusing on one particular thing. I find that my mind is usually racing with all that I {need}{want}{try} to do. I have to think about what that one thing might be. I thought about observing the Wisconsin River that flows past my office window. Each day it is so very different. But I might just spice it up with other facets of my life {variety is my favorite thing}.

Okay. Too many words already.

Next week I will just begin {no, really!}, but for today I thought some explanation was in order {lest you think I have gone mad and forgotten how to write!}. It is sort of like a haiku, but for the brevity-challenged. But it is still hard. And if you like this, I invite you to play along on your own blog, or even in the comments. Here is my first attempt:


Calm, glassy water shows nary a ripple.
Mist like downy fur rises over the surface making me want to burrow deep in the softness.
Sunlight burns away the fluffy coat.

Enjoy the day!

13 comments:

Sherry said...

I like it!!
Brevity is hard for me too - I have a dear friend who is so concise and brilliant in that brevity and I delight in that. In my case it may be more of a "trying to fit a square peg into a round hole" scenario! Good luck!!

Clare said...

Hi Erin

Thank you so much for trying this out -- it's a wonderful exercise, so I wish you the very best of luck with it.

If you label all your 30-word posts with 30-word tag, I can link to them on Once Around the Park (if you'd like that!)

Clare

Silver Parrot said...

Well, you've read my blog so you know I am not a brevity kind of gal - endless meandering drivel is more my style LOL! But I love that you are taking on this challenge and I really enjoyed your first attempt - it IS like a haiku.

SummersStudio said...

This is a fascinating idea and I love your poem. I'm going to give this some serious thought. Me, I'm challenged the other direction with words. Too many years in the world of scientific writing and paring it down to just a little shy of terse.

Wilma Ham said...

Interesting that quality does not relate to quantity, but lack of quality often gets substituted by quantity.

Leslie @ Bei Mondi said...

Can't wait to see what each Thursday brings to your wondering mind. It is so hard to focus with all the hustle and bustle of our busy lives. It's nice to take it slow and forget all your worries for a minute and let your mind "breath" a bit.

Elena_Valeriote said...

What a wonderful idea! I will definitely be checking back. Best of luck!

Cindy said...

Erin
You have a way with words...some of us are a little challenged (me) :-) This challenge will be a natural for you.

Lisa Crone said...

Very fun challenge, good luck!! :)

Pretty Things said...

"Glassy water" -- when I see those words, I'll always think of the first time my dad took me out on a boat -- the water was perfectly still, like glass.

Unknown said...

Loved the poem!

Sharmila said...

beautiful! I love this post! I know what you mean about editing, and speaking less also! I am learning to listen more, and slowing the words ;) I'm going to try this too for giggles! ;)

sparkling blue water ripples outward; teasing my imagination, as I tie these delicate strings of my ballet slippers - watching the sun fade behind the soft fluffy clouds in a wispy scarf of sunrise.

hope you have a lovely evening! your blog is always delightful! luv Jen

Dee said...

cool idea Erin, and a wonderful start. I'll watch you for a while, then I may give it a whirl, LOL..good luck.

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