Sense of Peace
Dark roast coffee, notebook, pen, Tablet, sunshine, and blue sky with two fluffy clouds above her: she tilted her head back from writing and reading in the past hour to savor the light autumn breeze, the faint sound of conversation from the cafe, and distant bustle of traffic. She sipped her drink as she watched a couple walked their Akita by her. She smiled, a smile that got bigger when another writing idea lit up in her mind like a sparked that stoked a campfire of creativity. Before she picked up her pen, she took a deep breath in her nose, and exhaled through her mouth, reminding herself that she has many hours of daylight to write and enjoy the day.
I just made the responses up in less than 20 minutes with an additional five to six minutes of editing and revising. It is a mental exercise that constantly needs refining and practicing like any sport or fine motor skills. So, try to write three to four sentences in one paragraph based on these three Senses.
Are There More?
If you had already written your five primary senses with the given three additional examples, my next challenge to you is to write your own snippets from the following Senses. Again, minimize or eliminate the usage of helping verbs “to be” and “to have,” and describe as specifically as you can to avoid vagueness and cliché.
Sense of Fear
Sense of Joy
Sense of Laughter
Sense of Curiosity
Sense of Skepticism
Sense of Lost
Sense of Worry
Sense of Pride
Sense of Nostalgia
Sense of Frustration
Sense of Soreness
Sense of Determination
Sense of Flexibility
Of course, there are several ways to interpret some of these “Senses.” For example, you might “Sense of Flexibility” might mean being “flexible” with your schedule or whether you can kiss your own knees or not. It is okay to make mistakes. In fact, I encourage it. The more mistakes you make, the more you learn.
While this article is not a substitution for a formal English and composition class, it is a start for those who wish to improve your writings, whether you’re blogging for your practice, debating or posting on Facebook, or even writing an email to an employer or employee. The 21 Senses and other teachings of Mr. Bradshaw had accompanied me for more than 25 years.
There is no recipe to follow in your writing; it is your own signature, your own unique experience to share with the world.
The Fingernail-biting Journey
Toward the end of my junior year in high school in 1994, I looked forward to see what classes I could take in my senior year. Some of my friends chose World Literature or British Literature. The only other option that appealed to me was Writing Seminar by Gary Bradshaw because it seemed like the only English class that allowed me to create and write my own stories and poetry rather than reading and talking about someone else’s.
“That’s a slacker class!” someone told me. I ignored him. Didn’t give a whit.
Senior year came. I remember the delight of being on top of the “food chain.” Of course, that was a delusion. Plus, there were no reading assignments in Writing Seminar, but that doesn’t mean it was easier. To NOT be able to use the verbs “to be” and “to have”—that forced my thinking about the English language differently. Showing, not telling, challenged my boxed thinking. It seemed like a big waste of time. The number of rejections I received after I submitted my writings to Mr. Bradshaw piled up like junk mail in the recycling bin. However, these rejections only strengthened my writings and thoughts.
His signature “GB” on my paper in green ink means I passed. One Sense passed. Each one inched a little closer to the 21 Senses finish line. Like a bonus level in a video game, those who had completed the 21 Senses unlocked the gate to the 42 Senses...(to be continued in next issue)
40 massage & fitness magazine