Wednesday 23 February 2011

Super Vignettes

OED, Vignette: /vi:'njet/ A short descriptive essay or character sketch.
Me, Super vignette: Extra short descriptive sketch.

*****

A palomino mare and foal: golden horses, white railings, green, green field. Gone by in a flash of gold, white, green.


Grey mare with brown foal and a discussion of genetics. And why Blithe Boy isn't adopted even though he is the only blonde Blithe.


Local pacing trainer ambling along the road in his buggy texting as he goes. Does the law against using your mobile phone while driving apply here?


Unbearably muggy molten days turning to cool, dampness on the wings of a fantastical lightening and wind storm.


Learning some new techniques for
plotting novels and trying to figure out when to try them out.

Realising that while I like doing business, there are few things more boring than business network meetings.


Finding a three word description of my business: I sell words.


Being told that I am middle-aged and feeling middle-aged from lack of sleep.


A woman asking for scuffs (backless slide on shoes) at the shoe shop then telling me that she also doesn't like anything over the top of the foot. Me stopping myself from telling her that, by definition, that would no longer be a shoe, just something on which you were temporarily standing.


My big sister running her first half marathon in 2 hours and 36 minutes. I couldn't even run for half an hour. My admiration is boundless.


A huge brown bird dozing in the sunshine on a fencepost being harassed by a pair of lapwings until it finally flaps lazily across the dam. Downthrust from its wings ruffling the brown surface of the water. Walking stiffly to the side of the dam to drink with the lapwings still circling and insanely squawking.

2 comments:

Vivi said...

Excellent Elmore Leonard post (that you linked to). I can see why you're eager to try it out.

Here's a different approach (for slightly different goals) that also looks really fun. If you browse around on the website, you'll see you frequently posts photos of the results.
http://www.jennycrusie.com/for-writers/essays/picture-this-collage-as-prewriting-and-inspiration/

Vivi said...

Oops I meant to write, "...you'll see she frequently posts photos of the results."