Writer's Workshop

Hello everyone!

So this one is a bit of a toughie, but you will benefit from it later on, I promise :)

Aim: SHOW, DON'T TELL

This may be difficult for those who use dialogue more than description. It's difficult for me as well :)

Write a descriptive paragraph (about a hundred words) of a scene. It can be anything, real or imagined. HOWEVER...you may not use adverbs. And your aim is for only four adjectives (although I know this is difficult, give it a go. If you go over, that's fine).

You are allowed to use a scene from one of your stories, provided that you don't use any character thoughts or feelings. It is purely description, as much as possible.

Some settings you may want to try are a bar, the ocean, a forest, or even a bedroom.

I have put an example (created by yours truly) on the Writer's Workshop story, if you are unsure about what to write.

Remember, if you have trouble, try the sixty seconds for inspiration!

HERE IS WHAT PEOPLE SENT IN:

First to be noticed was the breeze, licking around worn dunes. As the desert grew colder and colder, a sound, not heard but rather felt, echoed through the emptiness. Night had arrived. While some creatures buried themselves to hide from the dry freeze, others went into a state of hibernation until the morning sun brought them back to life. Stars, far brighter than any near the cities, shone down as if to compensate for the moon yet to rise. All movement disappeared soon after, unable to sustain itself in a place so empty of life.

Three adjectives used

- Pineapple2141 (me)

The man stepped over an object on the ground. He tilted his head, thinking he heard a noise. After a second, he went back to searching the place, sure it was just a rat. There was a counter covering a wall, and behind it were shelves filled with smashed beer bottles. On the ground were piles of broken things and sawdust breezing past him from the wind coming through the doorway. In the corner, the man spotted a frame that was covered with a cloth. Walking over to it, he pulled it away. He jumped when he saw a pale figure appraising him from inside a mirror.

Four adjectives used

- PlayingWithFire

The dilapidated house loomed over the hill, like a king over his cowering subjects. No other buildings even dared exist anywhere near it, for fear that the shadow it cast would swallow them up, would suffocate them and leave them defenceless against the night. A feline stretched and meowed, its cry echoing across the chasm that sat just beyond the hill. The moon shone far behind, a beacon of light contrasting with the symbol of darkness that was the mansion. The forces always conflicted, much like two sides of an endless war. The house always won out, as the moon retreated behind the hill every night, but even the house, in all its glory, had to humble itself every morning to the might of the sun

Four adjectives used

- ohlolheythere

It was 6:45 in the morning. The sun had not begun to paint the sky with hues of yellow just yet and the morning dew from last nights rain was still fresh on the grass. Birds were just beginning to wake up and flutter their wings in their nest, sending chirps into the air to awaken the world. Squirrels were scurrying from branch to branch, running along power lines, and digging in the grass for new acorns to store. It was early but nature sprung to live as the smell of a new day filled the atmosphere.

Four adjectives used

- valebaybe23

Boxes piled up in the corner of his room, his life packed into less than a square foot of space. He was moving out, was what he said, and he made sure evidence of his stay was wiped clean from the room's surface. Perhaps this was why this room seemed alien now. There was nothing in there that he could call his anymore, save every sigh that even the wind claimed once it escaped his lips. Possessions, like breath, are only ours while we hold it, but like breath we had to let go lest we suffocate. And yet, despite the obsession to erase his past, shards of glass from an [empty] picture frame clung to the walls, cradled in the negligence of the dark. It was the one reminder that he was once part of this world.