Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!
I think a huge part of effective writing, songwriting or otherwise, is wrapping intangible ideas or emotions in imagery. I want you to wrap today’s topic in sensory images. Use any or all of the five senses. How does this idea LOOK, SOUND, SMELL, TASTE, and FEEL?
Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.
And remember, we’re going for ONLY imagery. We’re not talking ABOUT the topic. We’re SHOWING the topic with imagery. Show me, don’t tell me!
Today’s topic is:
RECKLESS
I’ll give you an example to get you started:
“They both laughed and screamed as he turned up the radio, punched the accelerator, turned off the headlights, and waited for the moon to light up the highway.”
I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!
God Bless,
Brent
SHOUT OUT!
Thanks to Brenda, Matt Martoccio, Tim Bell, Mark Steven Brocke, Jeff D. Green, Shane, Shane Tripod, Joe Slyzelia, Ken Matthiesen, Parker, Michael Klenda, Randy Rhythm and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #89 (read it here)! Great job!
FREE AMAZON BESTSELLER!
Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!
God Bless,
Brent
Reckless-
With his chest beating up and down he can hear the thump of his own heart and feel his temples pulsating. His throat still burning he wraps his calloused hands around the cold mahogany handle of granddaddy’s Beretta. His crooked smile shows his yellowing teeth and with a 1 in 6 chance the odds are finally in his favor.
His head already spinning he hears the all too familiar sound of the cracking of a can. As he looks through the skunky haze he notices he is the one opening another. As he laughs like it’s comedy hour at his own inner demons he finally presses send.
Her shoulders ache from the weight of her self esteem stuffed inside plastic bags. Walking around with her friends Victoria, Dolce and Gabbana her sparking smile glimmers to hide her rotting core. Not a penny to her name she feverishly swipes up and down trying to buy happiness made from cotton and silk.
Reckless
They were oil and water
Told not to date
Like two cars slingin’ rocks
Doin’ a figure eight
They fell in love
and didn’t seem to care
Ten years, two kids
On a wing and a prayer
Patron flowed at noon by the pool, while sunburned girls wading in the shallow end waved with both hands to all the spring break testosterone standing up on the hotel balcony. One after the other, like lemmings on a cliff, the boys took the leap, shouting, heads flung back, never looking at the water below.
The sight of her only son throwing rocks in rage at police officers sent jolts of fear through her body. As she bolted out to the street through the rapidly mutiplying swarm of anger filled people on the verge of an upheval of venemous frustration, she shined like a beacon of hope and light in her sundrenched yellow sweater, physically saving her son from a momentary misstep that could have changed the course of his life that she dreamed for him, forever.
There were blue waves crashing on to snow white sand
The distinctive beat of a reggae band
The scent of shrimp on an outdoor grill
Your lips warm and sweet giving me a thrill
Are we writing novels or song lyrics here?
Well, I’m just for folks practicing writing with imagery. Personally, I’m not worried about rhyming, etc. Do whatever works for you. Write a lyric. Write a paragraph (with a ton of imagery). Just brainstorm images that fit the topic. Whatever you do to build your imagery muscles can be used when you ARE writing lyrics. Just my $0.02.
He stole his daddy’s .45,
His heart burned like gas on dead leaves,
He turned the key and threw it in drive,
And drove off with her memory.
I was picking at cold fries again,
Over in a corner booth,
Then our eyes met, she said, “How’ve you been?”
And that changed my altitude.
the seventeen year old climbed out of his bedroom window to join his friends who were already gathered on the dark neighborhood corner with three six packs of pbr, a pack of cigarettes and the whole night ahead of them.
A pack a Marlboro in.
A bottle of Jack burns down,
A momma’s words ring true.
A grown man storms out.
A damaged soul on the loose.
A fear not known right now.
A pedal revs the engine.
A rumble rolls through town.
A bittersweet to the end.
A story read out loud.
A newspaper says,
A crash with one dead found.
I smoked 13 cigarettes
I’ll smoke the other 13 next
My hairs reeks of smoke, my lungs feel like glue
From this green grass hill on my old couch
Can’t see the fire lit inside that house
But I’ll sit right here til up in flames it goes
I want it to burn
Like she burned me
I want it to fall to the ground
Like we fell apart
I want them to fight that fire
Like I fight the fire in my heart
But there ain’t no way
To stop it now
She packed her bag, walked out the front door,
left her life behind her, put the metal to the floor.
————————————————————
All the weight of life, was weighing hard on me.
So I walked into that church, from my sins I had to flee.
The altar called my name and I ran with all my might.
I gave it all to Jesus, it was there he changed my plight.