Instititute of Children's Literature

Rx for Writers

Writing Tips - Getting Ideas

Felice Prager is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in international, national, and local publications, both in print and online. (See authormania.net and writefunny.com.)

"Learning to Write Small"

by Felice Prager

One night at the annual Open House at my son's middle school, his language arts teacher explained her approach to creative writing, which she called "Writing Small." On the blackboard, she started with "world peace" as her topic. Since this was too much to write about in one essay, she had the students reduce it to a more workable size. Their sub-topics below "world peace" included specific wars, specific battles, leaders, weapons, and philosophies. Then the teacher directed the students toward more personal battles. The last item on the list was "siblings fighting over who sits in the front seat of the car."

I jotted the concept down in my writing notebook, then did what I usually do with things I write down: I forgot about it.

I Try Writing Small

After September 11th, I had a column due and I was having a difficult time starting. It didn't seem appropriate creating something humorous when the world (and I) were in shock. Speaking with other writers, I realized I was not alone. I'm paid to be humorous in my columns, and I wasn't feeling funny. Even if a funny thought came to mind, I felt too guilty to write about it. I would stare at the computer for long periods, but come up with nothing. However, a deadline loomed, and if I wanted a check and food on the table, I'd have to produce something publishable--and soon. As a last resort, I flipped through my notebooks, and there it was: "Writing Small." I reread the notes I'd jotted down and decided to try it.

I wrote "September 11th" on a sheet of paper. Then I scribbled down words that came to mind: New York, Afghanistan, evil, death, destruction, World Trade Center, depression, police, firemen, asbestos, tourism, terrorists, airlines, smoke, and more. Then I examined my extensive list and tried to pick out ideas that could seem humorous to me.

I settled on "New York" because I had the most experience with this subject and could recall some funny memories from when I lived back East. From there I scribbled down more ideas: walking in New York, meeting my husband in the city, wearing shoes that hurt, my husband's reaction to three-inch heels. After that, the ideas just started to flow. I remembered meeting my husband in Manhattan for dinner when he worked there and I worked in New Jersey. I had complained about how much my shoes hurt, yet I refused to take them off or change them because my shoes were so fashionable. I recalled my husband's reaction to walking a few feet, then waiting for me to hobble up to him on feet that had developed huge blisters.

Then I decided that in order to truly write about New York during these times, I had to include the World Trade Center. I had been there. I was devastated by the destruction. I sat with my family along with the rest of America and watched the Towers crumble. I made phone calls tracking down friends and family making sure they were all accounted for.

Back to the Drawing Board

So I brainstormed once again. I came up with some wonderful, yet sad, memories, like when we took our children up in the Towers in the early 1990's and our son's reaction to seeing a flying helicopter at eye level. I remembered hearing that on a clear day we could see Connecticut from the top of the tower. I remember the elevator's speed and how my ears popped from the change in altitude.

I jotted comments I'd overheard over the past few weeks, such as my family's reaction to what others claimed was "the devil's image" in the smoke. Other people saw that; my husband saw Adrienne Barbeau. He even drew an outline of her figure and got me to see the same image. I also jotted down a comment my son made, with hesitant guilt, about whether his souvenir pencil sharpener in the shape of the World Trade Center would increase in value now that the Towers were destroyed. Now I was getting somewhere.

A Writer's Education

Since that day, I've studied the topics I write about and reduced the scope of the topic just as my son did in his Language Arts class. His writing has improved, and I've found it to be a very effective exercise for me, as well.

The article turned out to be one that I was very proud of. During a time when I thought I'd never be able to get my words out coherently, I managed to produce a piece which made me realize that certain techniques can help override a writer's problems. "Finding My Humor" was originally published at Writer Online. It might be the best column I've written in a long time. And I owe it all to Writing Small. By using this teacher's writing exercise, I managed to reduce the enormity of my assignment to a smaller scope, then increase the depth of my experience using sharper memories and more specific details. It is a very effective exercise and I recommend it highly.

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