K is for Keen 
Defined as....
- having or showing an ability to think clearly and to understand what is not obvious or simple about something
- very strong and sensitive : highly developed
- very excited about and interested in something
- intellectually alert
What better way to be described? What I would give to have my name attached to”highly developed intellect” or “intellectually alert” or “showing an ability to think clearly and to understand what is not obvious or simple about something”
When one has a keen awareness of the world as it unfolds around us and can communicate this to the rest of the world, the better off we will all be.
Quote
"Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything."
Napolean Hill
"I was a keen observer and listener. I picked up on clues. I figured things out logically and I enjoyed puzzles. I loved the clear, focused feeling that came when I concentrated on solving a problem and everything else faded out.”
Sonya Sotomayor
Questions
Consider a time you had “keen pulsating desire” as Napolean Hill describes. What happened? What did you do about your “keen pulsating desire”?
How important is observation in your writing life?
Lists
Make a list of 5 - 10 ways to use your senses to increase your skills at keen observation.
Remember 5 - 10 times you were a keen observer. What happened?
Bonus: Write a scene, vignette, poem or outline surrounding one of the items on your list. Take your list to create your own writing prompts.
Writing Prompts/Activities:
Writing Prompt Activity: Observe an object in your near vicinity, preferably something ordinary. Observe it keenly - with all your senses for five minutes. When the five minutes are over, write what you saw, smelled, heard, touched and in some cases, tasted. Write what is tangible as well as metaphorical. Make associations. Have fun!
Second prompt: Write about what you observed about yourself in the previous activity. For fiction writers, how would your character approach this exercise?
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Julie Jordan Scott is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy and mixed-media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people's creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming Spring, 2014 and beyond.
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