To construct your Personal Universe Lexicon, start with a new post. You may wish to construct the list with pen and paper first and transfer it to your blog later. Begin by following these instructions:
Write down as many words as you can then sort the words into the categories outlined below. Complete each category. Write as quickly as you can.
Categories:
- 16 words of each of the five senses (16 x 5 = 80 words). The words must mean, suggest: taste touch, sight, smell, and hearing. For instance, desiccated or frozen might suggest touch to you, or birdsong hearing.
- 10 words of motion. The words must mean, suggest motion to you. They do not necessarily need to be verbs. Baby could be a motion word for someone, for example.
- 3 abstractions. Such as love or freedom or truth.
- 7 anything else. Any word with meaning to you that does not fit into the other categories.
All the words on the list must
- have significance to/for you
- be specific; that is the word must not be “bird” but “robin,” not “tree” but “aspen.”
- sound good to the ear.
Use no adverbs. Use no plurals.
Keep track of the words with your blog. Move them around each other in the list every day for a week. Choose one word at random from the list; write what the word(s) sparks, what the juxtaposition of words builds for you.
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