So I attended a mind bending workshop by Margie Lawson recently which essentially showed me and others how to improve the emotional impact of our writing.  At first it was stifling – the words wouldn’t come even for a basic scene I was writing for the first time.  Then I gave myself permission to write badly and edit using Margie’s system and what do you know?  It worked!  Here’s an example:

First crappy draft:  Shelby’s heart panged at the widow’s words.

Margie inspired revision:  At her words, Shelby’s heart shriveled into a prune as taut and leathery as the tall widow’s cheeks.

Now I find I’m listening to song lyrics to see if they avoid commonly used writing and cliches.  Here’s a line from Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You” about a woman leaving him for a richer man: I guess he’s Xbox and I’m more Atari, but the way you play your game ain’t fair. Wow.

M