Episode Summary:
How would you describe your bestie apart from their fashion choices, eye colour, listening skills, and sly sense of humour? How well can you represent their unique qualities on the page?
Write with Danica is here to warm you up and ease you into your daily writing practice. Join us and grow as a writer.
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Transcript:
Hello, writer! Welcome back to your writing practice. It's a practice—whether daily or a few times a week, it’s something you do regularly. You come here, settle in, write, and grow. You grow as a writer. That’s why we’re here.
I have a quick story to share with you. A long time ago, as part of a Lent practice, I decided that instead of removing something from my life, I would add a practice for those 40 days. I chose to say "yes" to anything anyone asked me. I didn’t tell my partner or my kids—I didn’t want them to take advantage of it. But I said "yes" to every request.
One day, I was chatting with my best friend about writing and the book I was working on. Out of the blue, she asked, “Can I be in your book?” I said "yes." I told her I would write her into my novel, which I was working on at the time. So, I created a character based on her. The characters in the novel were young adults, and since we had met in our thirties, I had to imagine her as a young adult. It was a fun challenge!
That little story inspired today’s writing exercise: we’re going to describe your best friend.
Before we begin, let’s take a moment to center ourselves in today’s practice. Quiet down, go inward, and set an intention for your writing today.
Now, grab your notebook and a pen. You can date the top of the page if you’d like. We’re going to spend a couple of minutes jotting down anything that comes to mind about your best friend. This is just a warm-up, so don’t worry about being perfect—just write freely.
Great! Now that you’ve warmed up, I imagine you’ve captured some physical descriptions and maybe a few personality traits. Next, I’d like you to focus on a more specific, unique detail that reflects something about your friend—something that might hint at their personality or history. For example:
Maybe she rises slowly from a chair, using furniture for support.
Perhaps she always slides in at the end of a line, preferring to be last.
Or, maybe she never looks you in the eye when she talks about her marriage.
You might even notice quirks, like a specific way she takes selfies or the fact that she has a precise vitamin regimen. Whatever it is, aim for something unique that paints a clear picture of your best friend.
Remember, no one is going to see this—it's just for you. If you were writing a fictional character based on your friend, how would you describe them? Or, if you were adding them to a memoir, what would make their description stand out?
I hope this exercise was fun and got you warmed up. Now it’s time to dive into your main writing project for the day. I’ll set a 20-minute timer, just like we do every day. If you want to keep going afterward, that’s great! But if 20 minutes is all you have, that’s perfectly fine too. The goal is consistency.
Let’s get it done.
Alright, writer—your 20 minutes is up! Feel free to wrap up for the day or keep going if you have more time. I hope you’re proud of yourself for showing up and sticking to your goals. No matter what else happens today, you can remind yourself that you got your writing done.
Well done! I’ll see you tomorrow.
Bye!
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