Let's play a writing game.

[sidra siyal]

DI S C O V E R I N G Y O U R C O N T I N E N T
Imagine a door. It could be a door in your own home, or room, or a door in a
library or in a wilderness. Close your eyes and visualise this door. Write a few lines
of prose or poetry describing it. What does the surface and the handle look like
(use simile or metaphor)? In your mind’s eye, open that door. What does the
handle feel like? You step through. You have passed through a door in time and
space. In front of you is a land you do not know. What are the first three things
you notice, and what do they look like or even smell like? Now describe what is
under your feet. You begin to hear two sounds in the distance. What do they
sound like? You see some words; they could be on a sign, or a piece of paper.
What do they say? What is the weather? Imagine this is part of a continent.
Nobody knows about it except you – for now. You begin to explore the space
around you. Write ten sentences or ten lines describing this exploration. Then you
meet somebody. It could be somebody you know well, or somebody quite new.
They say something to you. What do they say? You answer. What do you say?
Use another ten sentences or ten lines to finish this writing. Then put it away for
three weeks, after which revise it completely into a short story or poem.