Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!
Today, I’m going to give you a topic, and the wordplay is to show that topic with ONLY sensory images (sight, smell, taste, touch, sound). The point is to have fun with the old Nashville advice that says, “Show me, don’t tell me.” You can just pick one sense, or you can challenge yourself by playing one image from each of the 5 senses.
This week, let’s paint a picture about…
“High School”
Here’s an example to get you started:
“The metallic clang of locker doors shutting and padlocks clamping shut. Orange posters with black letters shout ‘Go Pioneers! #1!’ My backpack pulls on my right shoulder. My finger runs across a wad of dry gum under my desk. My thumb clicks more lead out of my mechanical pencil.”
Now it’s your turn. Show me, don’t tell me!
Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all…
And thanks to Matt Martoccio, Elaine, Ken Matthiessen, Jerry, Nick S., Jeff Green, Dionne Kumpe, Kim Kondrashoff, Wm Curtis, Tomas Giraitis, Terry Klein, Jim King, Carol Katterjohn, Joe Slyzelia and everyone else (here and on Twitter and Facebook) for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #126 (read it here)! Great job!
Since strong imagery is such an important part of professional-level songwriting, I’ve put together a course on imagery. It’s called, “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” and it’s available now. And this week, you can get my new course at a discounted price!
The live ONLINE workshops for “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” are now available for only $60.
That’s 33% off!
This is for a limited time, so don’t delay. The workshops are on February 16 and 18, and a ticket comes with ALL the materials for the full course:
*2 hours of video teaching
*1 hour of audio (great for listening on-the-go)
*50-page ebook
*course workbook
And, of course, you get an hour of additional coaching on the live, online workshop. As long as you have an internet connection, you can join us! (We’ll be using the Fuze online platform, which is free.)
By the end of the course, you’ll have the basic skills to:
- Effectively use both literal and figurative imagery.
- Make your story come to life using imagery.
- Prove your character’s personality using imagery.
- Make your listener connect to your character’s emotions using imagery.
- Hook your listener in the song’s first few lines using imagery.
- And to begin more songs (more easily) using imagery exercises as the start of your songwriting process.
To find out more, just…
CLICK HERE FOR THE FEB. 16 ONLINE WORKSHOP AND COURSE.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FEB. 18 ONLINE WORKSHOP AND COURSE.
God Bless,
Brent
Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.
