You do not need to announce a theme. Put one thing on the page: the sound of a gate, a cup left on a table, a line someone said yesterday. Write what happened around it. Then ask which detail carries more than you expected.
Three useful first drafts
- A place: write five sensory details without naming the place.
- A voice: write something a person said and what you noticed after they stopped.
- A turn: describe what you believed at the start of a day and what changed.
The beginner guide has more craft advice. The small object exercise is a quick way to begin.
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