Monday 8 April 2013

Graffiti

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Today's writing warm-up for my A to Z Challenge is G for Graffiti.

To be honest, I really just wanted an excuse to show a picture that says Yer Maws Got Baws... but lets make it productive.



1. You may dismiss graffiti "artists" as mindless vandals, but have a wee think about the person behind the spray paint. Are they troubled? A self-absorbed brat rebelling against their strict upbringing? Or simply an attention seeking troublemaker (in which case, what makes them act out like that?)? Scribble down all the possible characteristics and back story, and see if anyone comes alive and takes you on their journey.

2. Sketch a mind-map using the key word as the nucleus, then branch out in whatever direction you please. You might find yourself going in completely unrelated paths (which I personally prefer). Do a five-minute freewrite incorporating as many (or few) branch words as you like. Here is my mind map (created using the SimpleMind app on my phone).


3. Choose one of the following sentence starts and freewrite for a few minutes, letting the words tumble out without a second thought:
  • They'd laugh at him if he didn't do it...
  • Now they'd all find out what she was really like...
  • I caught him writing about Mum again...
I find it best not to read my freewrites for at least a few days. Why not stuff them in a drawer and surprise yourself? It's blatant evidence that our minds work in mysterious ways. Plus, I defy you not to find an array of story seeds amongst your work.

Do you have any writing warm-ups you'd like to share?

Take care,

Catherine x

Note: All photo prompts in the A to Z Challenge 2013 are my own. Feel free to use/copy/share to your hearts content. Help yourself. :)

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6 comments:

Dani said...

I love great graffiti! To express yourself through any type of art is beautiful!

Barbara White Daille said...

Thanks for the laugh!

Grafitti works much better for me than the footprints.

Somewhere in my travels through A to Z, I saw a photo of the work of graffiti artists who cleaned a fence, leaving only the grime that worked into their picture. It was gorgeous.

Barbara
Goals, Glinda, and the Great and Powerful Oz
The Daille-y News

Anne Mackle said...

Yes you can always rely on a baws comment in Glasgow.

Cathrina Constantine said...

My daughter follows the Graffiti kings. I guess their work is like pieces of art. Some are in jail though, for tampering with public property!!!

Dennis said...

What a good idea for writing a freewrite prompt. I agree that letting freewrite material sit for a day or two is sound advice. I sometimes come across a freewrite weeks after I wrote it and am amazed at what I wrote. Wow, I think. I wrote that.

Maria said...

Hello,

Graffiti is an art form in its own right when done well I think...

There are some very good examples around my city, mind they might be classed as street art...I'm unsure.

Anyway Catherine, I'm taking, 'Now they'd all find out what she was really like...' as my warm up piece today.

Thank you for sharing. ;-)

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