Creative Writing
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Cities are constantly stimulating, or even attacking, our senses. For many, it can be an overwhelming experience. Others can find calm and peace within the chaos. It is difficult to completely shut a city out of all our sensory receptors. Even when we are in our own homes, sounds and smells can penetrate through doors and windows. These sensory details help us remember the city(cities) we have lived in. We remember the sounds of sirens, the smells of restaurant kitchens, the taste of foods, the feeling of concrete under our soles. Together, sensory memories can help us piece together the memory of a place and time.
Writing Prompt 1
Write about a memory that you have had in the city you reside in. Try to incorporate all the senses but focus on what smells you remember. Scents are especially evocative when describing memories, so try to bring more awareness to what scents come to mind. Even if you do not remember with exactness, try to recreate the feelings you had through smell. Remember that sensory descriptions do not have to be literal. One can taste happiness, smell danger, etc.
Writing Prompt 2
Describe the scenery outside your building. Mix up descriptive words. Use words associated with sound to describe sight, or words normally used for touch to describe taste. Use colours to show sound.
Writing Prompt 3
Buy a fruit that is local to where you live. Cut it open, smell it, taste it. Write about the first memory that comes to mind.
Writing Prompt 4
Write about the experience of eating at a favourite restaurant of yours. Start not with the food, but the environment, the plates, the music, the smells, the people around you.