Writing Prompt: The Negative and the Positive

With one of my latest blog posts, I had to double-back and re-write the thing, because I feared that it was painting too negative of a light on recent events.  The newer post was done up to make things positive.  Then it reminded me of an exercise from high school.

Individual perspectives vary so much that different people can look at the same thing, or witness the same event, and write totally different pieces about it.  Such works will be inherently negative or positive.  Focusing on negative or positive traits will give an overall negative or positive perspective on a subject.  Focusing on both may allow for a more objective and well-rounded view of things, which may be important for journalism or essay writing.  In fiction, one-sidedness may help the narrative, especially if you want to make the readers understand the characters' perspectives.

For the purposes of this exercise, you'll want to stick with being one-sided.  The prompt today is:

1. Go to a place, physically, and stay there for a few minutes.  This can be anywhere, indoors or outdoors.
2. Observe your surroundings and write down the details and things you see.
3. Make two columns.  On one side, make a list of positive things you can observe.  On the other side, make a list of negative things.
4. Write two separate pieces based on what you've observed.  One piece will use the positive traits you've listed, and the other will use the negative.  When you're done, you should have two completely different pieces with two different viewpoints.  You'll find that both may be true, from your point of view, but they will read differently and project a different attitude overall.

When I did this, many years ago in school, everybody else went to obvious places like the gym, other classrooms, or the commons, but I went for the really odd place and planted myself in an emergency exit area.  For the positive details, I described the view outside as being beautiful and pristine; for the negative, I criticized the desolation of the area, the pollution, and other things I could derive.

This exercise could be useful in identifying positive and negative traits in your settings, description of details, and the overall narrative voice.  Handling details in this manner can help give your characters, or the narrator, the right-sounding voice.  There's nothing more embarrassing than to write something that's intended to be positive, but reads as a negative thing, or vice-versa.