"Rough wind, that moanest
loud
Grief too sad for song;
Wild wind, when sullen
cloud
Knells all the night
long;
Sad storm, whose tears
are vain,
Bare woods, whose branches
strain,
Deep caves and dreary
main, -
Wail, for the world's
wrong!"
-- Percy Bysshe Shelley
1. Write a one page scene
in which a man or woman is told his or her spouse is dead. Instead of relying
on an obvious response to grief, choose a different emotion to demonstrate
how the character shows grief. Other emotions you might use are guilt,
relief, excitement, hate. Or think of one of your own.
2. Choose an obvious
way to show grief. Then take that cliche to a believable emotional place.
3. Write a one page scene
in which a character either throws herself on the coffin of her loved one
or sits stoically in a chair as she gets the news of a death. Juztapose
that with something surprising. Some suggestions are: a celebration of
some sort in the background, the arrival of good news, an imagined action.
4. Write a one to two
page scene in which a grieving character is forced to interact with the
nongrieving world. How would grief show when one is expected to act normally?
What physical actions might the character display? Avoiding people's caring
stares? Chattering incessantly? How would the person dress? Rely on descriptions
that the outside world would note.
5. When is the time to
cease grieving? When is it appropriate to lay off the mourning clothes
and proceed with "real life"? Write about it.