Creativity is the writer’s greatest asset. If we write the same old way, we get the same old results. To escape our writing ruts and have new and refreshing words, we must practice the process of seeing our world differently. One way we can do that is to practice unusual word associations.
What to do:
- On the left of a sheet of blank paper, write any ten nouns that come to mind.
- On the right, write any fifteen verbs that come to mind.
- In the middle, select ten verbs at random from the list on the right.
- Beneath the list, write ten plausible, possibly absurd, sentences using each of the noun/verb pairings from the first two columns.
Here’s an example:
| Mouse | Listen | Run |
| Fly | Slam | Flip |
| Counter | Think | Talk |
| Plate | Retaliate | Befriend |
| Airplane | Flip | Listen |
| Sunrise | Talk | Twirl |
| Tree | Smile | Tap |
| Bird | Turn | Thank |
| Shoe | Snap | Snap |
| Table | Drive | Suggest |
| Smile | ||
| Slam | ||
| Turn | ||
| Think | ||
| Retaliate | ||
| Drive |
- The mouse listens to classic music.
- The fly slams into the tennis net.
- The counter thinks it is overburdened.
- The plate retaliates for being abandoned in the cupboard.
- The airplane flips over exorbitant fares.
- The sunrise talks about better days.
- The tree smiles at the woodcutter, glad to be a sacrifice.
- The bird turns to talk to the cat.
- The shoe snaps back at the dog at his heel.
- The table drives a hard bargain with the caterer.
The practice isn’t to get ideas to use in a manuscript but are to encourage your brain to see the world in a fresh, different way.
