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.
Last week, we dove into the topic of “High School” (and ya’ll did great- read it here). This week, let’s challenge ourselves by writing about an even smaller part of that topic. Let’s dive deeper. This week, let’s stay in high school paint a picture about your…
“Locker”
Here’s an example to get you started:
“My locker is blue, just like every other one in this hallway. The girl next to me has a magnetized mirror inside her door, and she’s fooling around with her hair. My black football cleats stink of sweat and the practice field and leave grass clots on my Algebra 1 book.”
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, Ken Matthiessen, Debbie Convoy, Barney Coulter, Jerry Childers, Tomas Giraitis, Nick S., Kim Kondrashoff, and everyone else (here and on Twitter and Facebook) for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #128 (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.
The Arkansas sun was warming the brisk spring morning as Jethro and cousin Brent leaned against the big oak across from the high school. Finishing their smokes the bus pulled up and they waited. Jenny, with her long red hair and a face full of freckles, was one of the last to get off.
“Thar she is!” Brent whispered, “Purdy as flowers in the sunshine. Do ya think she’ll go to the Valentine dance widcha?”
“Ooh I, I, I hopes so…” Jethro managed to reply over his pounding heart, “Cuz I, I, I does really locker!”
Man, Ken… I didn’t know where you were going with that! Pretty much nailed our Arkansan way of life, though…
Couldn’t resist
Why won’t it open? I know the numbers. I’ve known them my entire high school senior year. It’s not like I’ve forgotten my girlfriend’s birthday. Surprisingly, the second, third and even fourth attempt has an identical result. I try yelling, but the silver and black protector just seems to lie there in defiance. The gray cold metal doors will not open without the web of numbers being spun just right.
A slap on the back as a friend reminds me that I’m going to be late for class. Biology class without Biology books…I do like a challenge.
As I enter class, I notice everyone seems to be in an extraordinarily good mood as there are Cheshire cat smiles all around. Guess they were able to get their Biology books.
I find my desk and immediately notice what looks exactly like my protector, in two pieces. It seems sad, as if to say “I tried not to break, but they were just too strong”.
I smile and think to myself, “I’m really gonna miss high school”
BTW, Wordplay Truth!
I was extremely exhausted & spaced out from cramming all night for math exam I was going to have that day…so I really wasn’t paying any attention when I walked up…to what I thought…was my locker. It looked & smelled like it had a fresh coat of dark green paint & the structure was absolutely scratch & dent free. Again I wasn’t really paying attention because of my pre occupation with that math test & in the state of being mentally & physically exhausted . With out any thought…I routinely put in (which I thought) was the combination of my lock & tried to open the door…it was stuck..so I held the lock very tight in one hand, gave it a real good bash with the other & it popped open …This was really weird! Every single thing in that locker was neatly put away!I saw that the notebooks were stacked precisely & they had a new hard crisp, clean feel, & smell to them…placed beside the notebooks was a wrinkle free, immaculately pressed brown paper bag filled with something that look liked a vegetarian lunch…I took one bite…I knew right then & there…this wasn’t my locker! Within a split second…I heard someone screech at the top of his lungs ” What do you think your doing??????? ” It was Francis, all 120 pounds of him, having a conniption. I quickly apologised, closed the door & took off down the hall…all the while hearing Francis in the distance repeating to himself… that it was going to be ok.
Little late:
My locker is black and gold. The same as our school colors. An eagle is painted on the outside. The inside is empty except for my friend’s jacket he stuffed in after lunch. Etched on the inside of the door “Mark wuz here”
It’s never late! Creativity is always welcome!
My locker is dark blue,
It’s tall and narrow,
Looks like brand new,
Just freshly painted,
Can you smell it, too?
Quicky one this time ? ? ?
The boys in blue, dressed to arrest, walk up to the cold gunmetal gray locker #147. They spin numbers around and all noises cancel out except the sound of the pins and my heart dropping. With the familiar creak the door opens. A strong odor that burns the hairs in their nose emits and unfortunately it’s not a road-killed skunk inside. I can hear my own heart beating, blurring my vision, wishing I had read that paper bag covered history book more as they throw it to the ground with a thump. As I taste the sweetness of my own sweat I remember I’m locker #148. Today was a good day.