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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Literary Vacations and Writing Prompt: What's In The Refrigerator?

By Marilyn Friedman

August is vacation time for a lot of you. Last August, I went to Russia and the Ukraine had my own, self-designed Russian literary vacation. Visiting Tolstoy's estate, Chekhov's Dacha, and Dostoevsky's apartment was so inspiring. For instance, I learned that Dostoevsky's daily writing routine included drinking tea that he insisted upon making himself because he believed that no one else, not even his wife, could make it strong enough. He kept his samovar hot all day long. I saw his special samovar at the Dostoevsky museum in his modest but charming St. Petersburg apartment. Just like Dostoevsky, I must drink tea when I write. Perhaps I will write a "The Brothers Karamazov" one of these days!

LA has plenty of literary destinations for you to visit if you aren't going away this summer, for instance, you could design your own "Less Than Zero" tour if you want to pay homage to favorite author Brett Easton Ellis.

Also, speaking of literary vacations, Writing Pad has several excursions for you this August that won't empty your wallet. For instance, come to our Summer Camp on Sat., Aug. 18 with award-winning novelist and short story writer Maureen McHugh, famous memoirist and personal essayist Annabelle Gurwitch, and "Mad Men" screenwriters Victor Levin and Michael Saltzman! It will be a day of life-changing classes with master writers, arts and crafts, lounging by the pool, a delicious BBQ, s'mores, and ghost stories. You can sign up for the whole day or individual classes, but there are only 2 spots left, so hurry!

To sign up for a class, click on the links below or email marilyn@writingpad.com or call 323-333-2954. I hope to see you soon.


AUGUST/SEPTEMBER CLASSES
*Classes with an asterix will be held at our Westside location in Culver City.

Classes Starting Aug. 12 - Aug. 19
Writing The Market Friendly Masterpiece
Writing Pad Summer Camp


Writing Prompt:
It's hot outside today in LA, so you may be tempted to stand in front of the refrigerator to cool off. Opening the refrigerator is actually a wonderful writing prompt. The contents of a character's refrigerator can tell us a lot about who he is and his lifestyle!

For this week's writing prompt, make a list of 5 items you have (or your fictional character has) in the refrigerator (e.g. 10 six packs of beer, condiments and nothing else, the unidentified molding thing in the back, congealing pizza from that rager you had last week, those horrible pickles that your mom made). Pick one. Now add a sensory detail to it (smell, taste, sound, touch). Now write for 10 minutes about this refrigerator item and include the sensory detail. Then, post the results in the comments of this blog!

Write about the contents of your fridge (or your character's fridge). If you post your 10 minute write in the comments of this blog, you could win a free class!

2 comments:

Ethel said...

Seems there’s always something dying in my refrigerator. I remember a comedian from forever ago discussing refrigerators and saying that the crisper should have been called by what it actually does – “the rotter”.

Not everything goes there to die, however, only the healthy stuff – except for cherries. Those luscious deep purple orbs of sweetness that make summer so worth the heat that closes in around me and leaves me wanting nothing more than a nap. Cherries with their tough outer skins that yield with a satisfying crunch that echoes from ear to ear inside my head. Each crunch breaks into the firm moist flesh and fills my mouth with purple goodness – and a pit.

There have been occasions when I’ve miscalculated and swallowed a pit, and I can imagine my still-there appendix swelling with long ago bitten off bits of fingernails and cherry pits.

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