Kai and I were talking together a week or so ago about stories. Well... every day we talk about stories in some way or another - but this time, we were talking about them specifically as verbs or nouns.
Some stories we hear, read, believe, or tell, move us into action... they spark not just an opinion or a response, but a clear way to get in motion around something we care about... a way we wish to be... a direction we wish to go... Other stories... even some that are entertaining or informative... don't... they just sort of sit there... and we sit there in return, absorbing them but remaining neutral...
It reminds me of an acting exercise. As part of character study, an actor is often instructed to break the text up into active verbs... one that always has its test in another person... a desired outcome that you can see or sense... you may or may not get it, but it's the intent you're playing through the words you speak, the current under them...
to shame, to tickle, to lift up, to corner, to cajole, to comfort, to caress, to retreat, to lessen the distance...
Change the verb, change the relationship.
Beyond self awareness, it requires deep listening of others. Because the verb you play depends entirely on the other person...
We attached the exercise to some of the stories on our website and it was interesting to discern which ones we've written that still are active for us... which ones are nouns, in response to something that is past... and which ones we wish to rewrite with another verb...
always in motion,
fia
P.S. 'wild verbs' is available in our library section of the classic prints. Click here to take a look...
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Flying Edna is the home of internationally recognized artists, writers & teachers Kai Skye (the artist you may also know as Brian Andreas) & Fia Skye. You can see more of their work at flyingedna.com.
