BRIGHTER
World
Click the play button to listen to Barry talk about how movement inspires their work...
This task will be helpful if you are writing about people, this could be someone you know or a character you’re developing inspired by them. If this isn’t for you, skip it.
Image: Tie dye sun spiral pattern from dark to light blue.
You're done!
Section 2:
World
Rhythm
Now move again – but walk in curves.
No sharp corners, with a softness to how you engage with the world.
How does it feel to engage with the world in this way?
Is it different to you? Is it like you?
What feelings, images, characters?
Find somewhere to sit and begin to write
Share back what you’ve written.
Take yourself on a walk - around your room, to the park, to the shop.
At first only walk in direct/straight lines.
Move through the space in direct ways. Turn corners sharply. Walk as the crow flies. (Be careful!).
How does it feel to engage with the world in this way?
Is it different to you? Is it like you?
What feelings, images?
What characters come to mind?
How do you relate to the world?
Find somewhere to sit and begin to write.
How we move and physically inhabit space can allow us to access feelings or explore another voice / character.
OK, let's explore!
What can be learned about people when we look at the small, individual details?
Objects
Choose one object and respond in the following ways (e.g. headphones).
Literal – write about the object in a literal sense.
e.g. write about someone using headphones
Textural/Visual – how does it look/feel to touch?
e.g. the headphones are long, can look sleek but can get tied in knots. Develop a story along these lines.
Emotional - how does the object make you feel
e.g. wearing headphones might make you feel like you're in your own world. Create a story inspired by this.
The objects around us can ignite the imagination.
Have a look around you.
What objects can you find?
A plant, a scarf, a toothbrush, some headphones…
Gather a range of objects and place them in front of you.
Explore the detail – the colours, textures, weight, how the light hits it, what feelings/images come to mind.
Photo: Objects in Barry's house. Green and pink pens, white headphones, stapler, bird ornament, small plant on a bright orange background.
People
What can be learned about people when we look at the small, individual details?
Instead of big facts (where they live, their job), think about their individual likes and dislikes. How they move, smile, frown, their habits or words they use a lot.
Choose someone that you know well - a friend, a family member, a partner.
Write down 5 or 10 individual details about them.
With this list of small, individual details in front of you...
Choose a location (kitchen, bus, club), a time (morning, midnight, next millennium) and decide whether this person is alone or with others. Write for 2 minutes.
Share and discuss with your group.
Photo: mandla climbing a large tree in a woods. They are half way up with their face appearing through some green foliage.
Our surroundings shape us, mould us, inspire us and our human sensors help us to understand, connect and create.
Senses
Think of a colour. It can be pastel, it can be neon, it could even be a tie dye vibe.
Write it down.
Pair it with a smell and a taste - these could be familiar to you or maybe it’s something you’ve never tasted, maybe it’s something you’ve been curious about or longing for? It can be totally out of the box! Utopian and dream like even.
Write these down.
Spend 2 mins daydreaming in this new world. Allow yourself to move away from the original colours, smell and taste.
Now write about -
Something you saw.
Something you heard.
Something you smelled or tasted.
Something you felt.
Where you were going and where you had been?
In this section we will continue to generate ideas. The tasks will help you connect to the world around you (objects, feelings, people, rhythms) and write in response.
You may want to build on the themes you have discovered in Section 1 or you might like to start fresh.
At the end of this section have a think about what it is you want to write (if you haven’t already). Is it a poem, a scene, a short story, a political speech…
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