November 2020 - SENSE-ation fest!
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Welcome to the November SENSE-ation fest!
It’s common to hear “the five senses,” but there are a great many more to work with, and by using unusual senses, we can add a great deal more clarity to our creative endeavors. My list is cribbed at the last minute from work done by Michael J. Cohen, who divides our perception of the world into four major categories, and then gets delightfully specific.
I’ve randomized the list to make it harder to take out entire categories of senses, but I do hope other players will forgive me for doing so; I am trying to avoid my own tendencies of focusing on the most familiar senses. Instead, let’s challenge ourselves to tie into the senses that are needed in a scene, story, or poem. Look for a new way to connect with the audience, and see how it contributes to the creation.
First, the bingo card generator is here:
http://an.owomoyela.net/fun/bingo_generator#generated_card
Next, the word list is here, in no particular order. If there’s anything that doesn’t fit, take it out of the list before hitting the button to generate a card. (I won’t know, and no one will tell!)
Here’s a sample five by five card (using “Free Space” in the center):
I don’t have a way to make icons or banners any longer, but what I do have is a huge pile of words rattling around in my brain.. For anyone who gets a bingo (any five boxes in a five by five grid, four in a four by four grid, et cetera), I’ll write a scene with two hundred fifty words for each square in that single line. For anyone who gets a full blackout, I’ll double the base offer, but beyond that it would simply take too long to get the prizes to each winner.
If anyone would like to see my writing, check for “Magpie Monday” or “Feathering the Nest” prompts each month. I love writing gentle fiction and hardcore comfort, and I will send each winner a private message to ask what kind of story they would like. I try to tailor stories to the target reader, and your reading copy is meant to be enjoyed.
The fest will begin on November 1, and continue through the 30th, and if someone accomplishes a bingo on the first day, I’ll get right on creating their prize, so please let us know so we can cheer!
It’s common to hear “the five senses,” but there are a great many more to work with, and by using unusual senses, we can add a great deal more clarity to our creative endeavors. My list is cribbed at the last minute from work done by Michael J. Cohen, who divides our perception of the world into four major categories, and then gets delightfully specific.
I’ve randomized the list to make it harder to take out entire categories of senses, but I do hope other players will forgive me for doing so; I am trying to avoid my own tendencies of focusing on the most familiar senses. Instead, let’s challenge ourselves to tie into the senses that are needed in a scene, story, or poem. Look for a new way to connect with the audience, and see how it contributes to the creation.
First, the bingo card generator is here:
http://an.owomoyela.net/fun/bingo_generator#generated_card
Next, the word list is here, in no particular order. If there’s anything that doesn’t fit, take it out of the list before hitting the button to generate a card. (I won’t know, and no one will tell!)
Here’s a sample five by five card (using “Free Space” in the center):
sense of gravity | pheromone sense | Corilus sense (as The Doctor does) | sense of stress | sense of language and communication |
sense of play | seeing without eyes | electromagnetic sensitivity and polarity | sense of metamorphosis | sense of generational time |
sense of time | moods associated with color | FREE SPACE | personal visibility or invisibility | sleep |
position in space (navigation) | sense of consciousness | reasoning and memory | meditation | fear or dread |
proximity sense | sense of ownership/control | procreative urges | humor and laughter | psychic sense or absence |
I don’t have a way to make icons or banners any longer, but what I do have is a huge pile of words rattling around in my brain.. For anyone who gets a bingo (any five boxes in a five by five grid, four in a four by four grid, et cetera), I’ll write a scene with two hundred fifty words for each square in that single line. For anyone who gets a full blackout, I’ll double the base offer, but beyond that it would simply take too long to get the prizes to each winner.
If anyone would like to see my writing, check for “Magpie Monday” or “Feathering the Nest” prompts each month. I love writing gentle fiction and hardcore comfort, and I will send each winner a private message to ask what kind of story they would like. I try to tailor stories to the target reader, and your reading copy is meant to be enjoyed.
The fest will begin on November 1, and continue through the 30th, and if someone accomplishes a bingo on the first day, I’ll get right on creating their prize, so please let us know so we can cheer!
Well ...
Date: 2020-11-01 12:19 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2020-11-01 12:22 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2020-11-01 12:30 am (UTC)I actually have at least one or two characters with synaesthesia, but I don't know if they synth those senses. It would be fascinating to find one who does. They'd almost live in a different world.
I mean, think about just one of my senses, structure sense -- it tells me if things are stable or unstable, durable or fragile. Some things that seem like hazards to other people don't to me because I can feel that they'll hold me. Other things that other people blithely approach or cross over, I can't get near because of how they feel.
Re: Well ...
Date: 2020-11-01 12:36 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2020-11-01 12:41 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2020-11-01 12:56 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2020-11-01 01:09 am (UTC)That's only one manifestation. Some people describe it as a fuzzy feeling. Bob Ross sounds like Microfyne to me. :D
>> It happened a few times when I was younger, but I dismissed it as an oddity of the universe, and now I wonder if I actually turned that particular sense OFF.<<
That's possible. :(
Other sounds can have physical sensations, because sound waves are vibrations. Below what I can hear, which is probably lower than human range, elephant speech feels like a buzz or a hum in my feet and bones. Loud music can create a thumping in the chest. If I lean against a piano while it's being played, the sound sort of becomes three-dimensional. It's hard to describe, and is probably trying to hook into the echolocation/sonar memories that aren't fully supported by current bodily equipment. High screeching sounds sort of scrape along individual nerves, a very directional effect.
no subject
Date: 2020-11-01 09:42 am (UTC)Making a card
Date: 2020-11-01 11:46 am (UTC)Have fun with your card and I look forward to cheering you on!
Re: Making a card
Date: 2020-11-01 01:41 pm (UTC)Done!
Date: 2020-11-01 10:13 am (UTC)https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/12718845.html
no subject
Date: 2020-11-01 07:44 pm (UTC)I'm looking forward to seeing your results!
Date: 2020-11-01 07:53 pm (UTC)Re: I'm looking forward to seeing your results!
Date: 2020-11-01 07:55 pm (UTC)I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 08:27 pm (UTC)My card can be found here.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 08:34 pm (UTC)Heck, a digital collage is something that I cannot do now, so you'd have one very happy, drooling person to applaud your efforts for that, too. *G*
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 09:06 pm (UTC)Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 09:12 pm (UTC)Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 09:24 pm (UTC)Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 09:25 pm (UTC)Even if you never DO it, thinking about a question like that often shakes my creativity loose, ready to roll. *G* ENJOY!
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 09:34 pm (UTC)Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 09:40 pm (UTC)Most people start out that way.
>> and not necessarily hugely creative myself, so this will be an interesting journey.<<
I should probably warn you that I rub off on people. Look what's happened to
>> Exploring media other than writing may help though, and I may find something that works really well for me, if I'm lucky. <<
Why not do a hobby tour? Get a big list of hobbies and experiment with a different one for each prompt.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 09:48 pm (UTC)I noticed that. You and
>>Why not do a hobby tour? Get a big list of hobbies and experiment with a different one for each prompt.<<
That sounds like an excellent idea!
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 10:40 pm (UTC)Yay! :D That's what I aim for.
>> To be honest, I'm actually hoping some more of that creativity and word-genius rubs off on me; my talents are a little less in that area.<<
Based on your comments, I suspect that's more a lack of practice than a lack of potential. I can tell you specific things I've done, like writing from the core out instead of the surface in, or seeking out interesting new experiences, but much of it really is just writing tons of stuff. I wrote a poem every weekday from junior high through high school, and I think it lasted into college somewhere.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 10:48 pm (UTC)Based on your comments, I suspect that's more a lack of practice than a lack of potential. I can tell you specific things I've done, like writing from the core out instead of the surface in, or seeking out interesting new experiences, but much of it really is just writing tons of stuff. I wrote a poem every weekday from junior high through high school, and I think it lasted into college somewhere.<<
I suspect the practise does factor in a lot. English and Creative Writing were never one of the subjects that held my interest in school, so I didn't write much outside of what was required. I have a stronger aptitude for math and science, and most of my artistic creativity swings more towards crafts than typical arts or writing.
Practise writing would probably help, along with constructive feedback I think. And you've posted some great resources for writing, so looking at those would give me a starting place for improving too.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 10:58 pm (UTC)Then pick something that encourages you to write, if it's something you'd like to practice. A blog post per day, a short poem or a page of fiction per day, bingo challenges, whatever works for you.
>> I have a stronger aptitude for math and science, <<
Then by all means, start there. I enjoy reading and writing stuff based on scientific discoveries. Planar geometry can go to some really interesting places. There isn't as much SF actually based on science as there used to be, alas. We could sure use more of that.
>> and most of my artistic creativity swings more towards crafts than typical arts or writing.<<
Also totally fine. You can always play bingo with those.
>> Practise writing would probably help, along with constructive feedback I think.<<
I'll try to chip in what I can.
>> And you've posted some great resources for writing, so looking at those would give me a starting place for improving too.<<
Yay! I'm happy I could help.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-01 11:12 pm (UTC)That is a good idea. The monthly bingo fests don't always work for me as the themes are sometimes further out of my comfort and skill zone is doable, but I may make myself custom bingo cards from the maker, and play around with size of cards as well. I like bingo a lot as a way to practise writing, but more frequent blog posts are a goal too.
>>There isn't as much SF actually based on science as there used to be, alas. We could sure use more of that.<<
I suspect I would need to do a fair amount of research to do SF justice, but it might be an interesting thing to try. It's certainly not something I considered before, so it gives me a new direction to try things in.
>>Also totally fine. You can always play bingo with those.<<
That is certainly something to keep in mind. I generally forget about other means of filling prompts. I will have to put more thought into that.
>>I'll try to chip in what I can.<<
Thanks! I appreciate any and all help, and I've certainly appreciated your input in the past. :D
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-02 11:07 am (UTC)There are dozens of prompt lists on the bingo maker. Pick any of them. You can also insert any comma-separated list into the blank field to make your own.
>>I suspect I would need to do a fair amount of research to do SF justice, but it might be an interesting thing to try. It's certainly not something I considered before, so it gives me a new direction to try things in.<<
That depends on:
* how much science you already know
* how much detail is in the reference you start with
* how long or complicated a piece you want to make.
It sounds like you already know a good amount of science. So if you choose a reference with decent details and you don't try to make something huge, you may not need more. Conversely if you want to do worldbuilding, that benefits from a lot of research (unless you've memorized the basics).
For comparison, I have written many poems and some stories based on a single article or panel or some random tidbit I came across. If I need more detail, I know how to look it up, but a short piece often doesn't need it. I've taken to cramming footnotes with my narrative poems, but that's because it's the most effective form of activism I have discovered. Fuck it, I'll do what works. It's not always needed to write the thing, although it helps with the precision.
I do recommend that you write from the core out, rather than the surface in like most people seem to. (The first two steps are interchangeable though.) Scott McCloud gave a great description in Understanding Comics, which is an excellent book about the craft of storytelling whether you use words or art to tell it. A sample is here:
http://gangles.ca/2009/01/20/the-six-layers/
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-05 02:11 am (UTC)I did this last year for NaNoWriMo. I didn't finish it, but I did make two cards. I haven't made my own lists yet, since I'm usually lacking on ideas, but there are plenty to choose from as is.
>>It sounds like you already know a good amount of science. So if you choose a reference with decent details and you don't try to make something huge, you may not need more. Conversely if you want to do worldbuilding, that benefits from a lot of research (unless you've memorized the basics).<<
I did a University Bachelor's degree in Biology, so I have a decent base of knowledge but I never went into all the details, and some of it is fuzzy now. Enough to give a solid foundation though. And I always forget about do something smaller than a whole world. I like the idea of just looking at one bit of it, then developing more details later if needed or I feel like it.
>>I do recommend that you write from the core out, rather than the surface in like most people seem to. (The first two steps are interchangeable though.) Scott McCloud gave a great description in Understanding Comics, which is an excellent book about the craft of storytelling whether you use words or art to tell it. A sample is here:
http://gangles.ca/2009/01/20/the-six-layers/<<
That makes a lot of sense to me, though I'm quite confused as to how you would go about writing surface in. Don't you *need* to start at the core?
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-05 03:39 am (UTC)So pick up a biology book as a refresher, or read a website on the topic.
>> And I always forget about do something smaller than a whole world. I like the idea of just looking at one bit of it, then developing more details later if needed or I feel like it. <<
:D I'm glad I could help.
Often it's nice to pick a starting example from this world and imagine a different example from another. A food web. How sex works. Genetics. A species. That sort of thing.
>> That makes a lot of sense to me, though I'm quite confused as to how you would go about writing surface in. Don't you *need* to start at the core? <<
ROFL you are so adorable.
That is exactly how I feel too. Apparently, what most people do -- and this includes professionals -- is take something and copy its appearance. They do not do what I do: "Oh, that's cool. I wonder how it works inside?" and take the thing apart. This is a big reason why most modern entertainment sucks. The people doing it have no idea what they are doing. They don't grasp plot, characterization, setting, archetypes, the hero's journey and its analogues from other cultures, or what a mythic cycle is and how it differs from a canon let alone how to run either.
Seriously, Understanding Comics explains a lot about how comics work, how storytelling works, and why most people suck at it.
See also how Save the Cat ruined movies.
I should probably warn you that I can teach you a ton about storytelling, but it is likely to make you and your work wildly unsuited to mainstream markets. This may or may not be something you want.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-05 03:57 am (UTC)Luckily, I still have some of my university textbooks, so I can start there, or I can find an interesting article and then do more research from there. I also just picked up a book about Mind Maps for learning Physics (not sure the actually title), and it looked interesting, so I'm hoping to shore up my tenuous grasp there.
>>Often it's nice to pick a starting example from this world and imagine a different example from another. A food web. How sex works. Genetics. A species. That sort of thing.<<
That is good advice. Also less daunting than doing a whole world, while still having the fun of imagining something different. Aha! Maybe I could use one of the ideas I had while sitting in the sun after giving blood; what if humans could use photosynthesis?
>>Apparently, what most people do -- and this includes professionals -- is take something and copy its appearance.<<
I can actually see how this would work, as it is a very shallow "idea" to work off of, but it's also why I feel most of my writing is subpar. The main core/idea is where I have trouble, along with characterization and world details. So while I can take an idea such as "Sofia takes an art class", I have a hard time giving it any substance, so my work ends up feeling undeveloped and lack luster to me. Actual professionals working in a similar fashion? Boggles my mind a bit and as makes me feel less bad about my attempts. I thought they were supposed to do it *properly*.
>>I should probably warn you that I can teach you a ton about storytelling, but it is likely to make you and your work wildly unsuited to mainstream markets. This may or may not be something you want.<<
I would love to be able to have even a tenth of your storytelling skills. I've never had aspirations for a career as a writer, so being unsuitable for mainstream isn't a concern. I'd rather be able to do something *well*, and write something that I'm proud of and am confident showing other like-minded people.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-05 04:05 am (UTC)What would dragons hoard, if they had to hide from a modern human society?
If people could read minds, would tinfoil hats really work? What would just knowing about the possible security risk change in a medieval world? In 1800? Were the use of heliographs (light messages) and telegraphs a way to provide secure communications because telepaths have to be within a few feet of their target?
Then ask-- "What does having known, real, functional telepaths change about-- " and the list will spark SOMETHING you want to write about, because you've found an intersection of an interest, a hobby, and a playground no one else has used before.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-05 04:13 am (UTC)Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-05 04:20 am (UTC)Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-05 04:44 am (UTC)Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-05 04:32 am (UTC)In this manner, you will almost always get an original story even if you start with the same basic idea as someone else, just because there are so many branches and people get excited by different things.
Also if you like board games at all, I highly recommend Call to Adventure:
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/12150095.html
I was amused to see that someone else actually made the connections I did:
https://twincitiesgeek.com/2018/08/call-to-adventure-is-the-heros-journey-in-card-game-form/
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-05 05:16 am (UTC)Good idea. I kept my textbooks that were worthwhile too.
>> I also just picked up a book about Mind Maps for learning Physics (not sure the actually title), and it looked interesting, so I'm hoping to shore up my tenuous grasp there.<<
Mind maps are very useful, especially for visual people. I find it more helpful to look at other people's examples than make my own. You may also wish to explore other mapping tools, such as:
https://visme.co/blog/graphic-organizer/
https://educationalimpact.com/resources/VisualTools/pdf/6_visual_language.pdf
https://ditchthattextbook.com/15-free-google-drawings-graphic-organizers-and-how-to-make-your-own/
http://www.creativewriting-prompts.com/graphic-organizers-for-writing.html
https://creately.com/blog/diagrams/thinking-maps-templates/
https://educationalimpact.com/resources/VisualTools/pdf/6_visual_language.pdf
https://visme.co/blog/types-of-graphs/
You might be amazed by how these can be used to generate ideas, not just organize them. After fucking around for a while trying to figure out some of the bizarre differences between local-American and Terramagne-American government, it eventually occurred to map out their whole federal budget. I found a pie chart with a list of local percentages, and then thought about the differences. It was mind-blowing. The most glaring difference? Their National Endowment for the Arts has a budget one hundred times what ours does. Well no wonder they have so many municipal artists and artworks! Looking at the list of T-American numbers (I don't have the software skill to piechart it, alas) raises all kinds of questions. Why are these numbers different? Why are their priorities different? When did things change and what were the divergence points? What does this mean for a sotry?
I think one of the things that got me on this line of thought was "Why is it that when someone wants to catch a bus, it's almost never more than a few blocks and 5-10 minutes away?" Turns out, their transportation budget is much bigger, and they're not wasting as much of it on stupid things. They've built the hell out of their public transportation.
To me, it is really interesting to dig into the infrastructure like this. I can write at the level the current story requires, but over time I often start noticing more things about a setting that overlap, and I wonder why they are like that and what it means.
Of course, with Terramagne, I'm also observing with an eye toward "How much of this awesome stuff could we replicate with local resources?" Surprisingly the amount dependent on superpowers or zetetic materials is a lot lower than what is simply based on ideas that can be easily transported from one universe to the other if the worldwalker is sufficiently adept at observation, analysis, and description.
>> I can actually see how this would work, as it is a very shallow "idea" to work off of, but it's also why I feel most of my writing is subpar. The main core/idea is where I have trouble, along with characterization and world details. So while I can take an idea such as "Sofia takes an art class", I have a hard time giving it any substance, so my work ends up feeling undeveloped and lack luster to me.<<
Okay, that is totally fixable. You may find it helpful to examine your work and write down what you are unsatisfied with. You use a list of elements for inspiration:
https://www.scribophile.com/blog/the-seven-elements-of-fiction
https://blog.prepscholar.com/literary-elements-list-examples
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_element
https://selfpublishing.com/literary-elements-list/
For each one, rank how good you think you are at it, how important you think that element is, and how interesting you find it.
Then choose one at a time to work on. Read an article or book about it, then practice doing it. When you're satisfied with your progress -- bearing in mind you'll never get perfect because nobody is -- then choose another and repeat the process.
Alternatively, you can work through one book with a bunch of elements in it, like most writing classes do. This gives a shallower but sometimes more connected awareness of the elements. Pick what works for you.
In looking for resources, I highly recommend Writer's Digest Books. They have an extensive archive of titles on many different elements and techniques of writing. I have a shelf or so of them. Writers Helping Writers is another gem, I'm collecting their thesauri, of which the most in use currently is The Emotional Wound Thesaurus. (Not a beginner's book, an intermediate to advanced reference once you understand character construction.)
If you want help finding good resources on a given element, just ask. I probably have something on my shelf about it.
>> Actual professionals working in a similar fashion? Boggles my mind a bit and as makes me feel less bad about my attempts. I thought they were supposed to do it *properly*. <<
Supposed to, in theory, yes. In practice, most people care far less about how things work than what feels good or what makes them money. This human failing leads to bad writing, unplanned pregnancies, and politics.
Oh, and your knowledge of biology will come in very handy if you want to hack reader responses. The hurt/comfort ratchet? Is a logical outgrowth of understanding stimulus, satiety, and overstimulation. It's a simple pressure-release pattern with rising tension that lets you crank the total tension much higher without burning out your characters and/or audience. It is much easier to understand if you know a bit about neurochemistry, i.e. that varying types of stimulation avoids the burnout problem. Granted, I started out writing it because I loved Tolkien and intuitively grasped that the pattern worked -- but my application got a lot more refined after I studied neurochemistry and psychology. Knowing how and why it worked made it easier to figure out effective pattern placement.
>> I would love to be able to have even a tenth of your storytelling skills. I've never had aspirations for a career as a writer, so being unsuitable for mainstream isn't a concern. I'd rather be able to do something *well*, and write something that I'm proud of and am confident showing other like-minded people. <<
*cackle* *rub hands together* This will be so much fun!
Look over the basic skills and concepts of writing. Find where you want to improve. Choose some references and absorb what is useful. Bear in mind there's some amount of nonsense in most resources -- the plot ones will say it's all a mountain peak while ignoring all the other patterns. You'll learn to sort out and ignore the crap. Then just practice. At the beginning it's often more helpful to write many short pieces than a few longer ones, but later on most people want to try out longer forms. Do what works for you. Your desire to construct things precisely will serve you very well.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2020-11-05 05:39 am (UTC)Have you read any /old/ sci-fi or fantasy? The former has an array of disproven science to poke at, but the latter has history biases and whole chains of -isms to poke at.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2022-01-15 04:18 pm (UTC)I'm hoping that time, energy, spoons, and creativity line up this year and I have a chance to practice my story telling skills and see if I can't improve them some. And my confidence in my abilities too, while I'm at it.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2022-01-17 11:22 am (UTC)You can stitch things together when you have more spoons. Even if that is a hundred words at a time, the connecting bits feel different than the key scenes, and it's okay to need several passes to get a connection the way you like it in terms of flow and focus.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2022-01-17 06:36 pm (UTC)When I feel like crap but have a deadline, I ratchet between writing and reading something fun. Even if I have to write a paragraph, read a section, it makes progress.
Re: I'm going to try
Date: 2022-01-18 04:18 pm (UTC)