I came across an Image Grammar strategy asking me to find a family photo and write about the memory. Searching around for a good picture, I found this one of my mom and I standing outside in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It brought back a lot of good memories from our most recent family vacation last summer. With my picture chosen, I set out to describe it using specific nouns, specific verbs, participles, appositives, prepositional phrases, and adjectives out of order. 

Image Grammar by Harry R. Noden
Chapter 4: From Imitation to Creation
Strategy 2: Paint from a Family Photo

    On a sunny day in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, my parents and I enjoyed an afternoon at the boardwalk. Looking for gifts to bring home, we explored the cobbled streets of the old town market.
    My dad sunburnt and peeling wanted to find a bar, obtain a few cervezas, the Spanish words for beer, and relax for the afternoon. He had no interest in shopping.
    My mom would not let that happen. Showing dominance, she told us that we had to finish our gift lists before we could party. Mom had decreed it and her word was law.
    After several hours of shopping in the crowded market, we had exhausted our list and could now start imbibing the alcohol we had been waiting for. We quickly found a nice bar near the ocean, ordered a few beers, and relaxed.
    The sun massive and golden was just starting to set over the ocean. The day had been beautiful. It was time well spent with my family having fun. It had been a day of memories.

    While searching for other strategies to work on in Image Grammar, I came across one that I could not pass up. The strategy asked me to create me own imitations of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone introduction. It was the perfect opportunity for me to work on parallel structures and imitation. I took the template they gave me of the original version and added my own creative twists to create a couple of unique zones.

Image Grammar by Harry R. Noden
Chapter 3: The Artist's Rhythms
Strategy 3: Travel into the Twilight Zone

The Metal Zone

    There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as loud as thunder and as brutal as Hell. It is the Gothic bridge between rock and roll, between Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, and it lies between the cry of guitar riffs, and the noise of the soul. This is the dimension of sound. It is an area which we call... THE METAL ZONE.

The Batman Zone

    There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as dark as night and as twisted as Arkham. It is the thin line between vengeance and justice, between right and wrong, and it lies between the boarders of your fears, and the sight of his mask. This is the dimension of pain. It is an area which we call... THE BATMAN ZONE.

    Once again, I turned to Image Grammar to help me practice imitation and brush strokes. I found another strategy asking me to imitate the style of a paragraph while using zooming and layering techniques to add more detail in paragraphs. I utilize specific nouns, specific verbs, participle, appositives, prepositional phrases, and adjectives out of order in my sentences.

Image Grammar by Harry R. Noden
Chapter 2: The Artist's Eye
Strategy 5: Focus on Word-Image Senses

    Running on the stiff tar of the track almost ten feet ahead of the nearest runner, a kid from Sioux Falls, Jenny sprinted toward the finish line. As she crossed in victory, she heard her friends and family roar with excitement from the crowd. Jenny exhausted and fulfilled needed help from her coach, Linda Stromm, to make her way to be congratulated for her victory. The loudspeaker announced she had set a new school record in the 400 meter dash. Friends young and old rushed onto the track to share in Jenny's excitement.

    Looking through Image Grammar, I found another great strategy for practicing brush strokes. It asked me to look at the clothing people wear and describe what those people are like. I incorporated zooming and layering techniques in each of my descriptions. I also made sure to utilize specific nouns, participles, appositives, prepositional phrases, and adjectives out of order in my sentences.

Image Grammar by Harry R. Noden
Chapter 2: The Artist's Eye
Strategy 2: Paint the Personality Behind the Clothes

    Sherry Moonflower was the lead singer of the band, Lotus Blossom, and the owner of a flower shop. She dressed in vibrant neon and pastel colors. Working on song lyrics, Sherry could usually be found in her garden. She considered herself part of the counter-culture movement  and often sang about peace, love, and LSD. She was a flower child in every sense of the word. 

 

    Lester Maslow is a real estate agent from New Jersey. He can usually be found dressed in business casual. Selling houses, Lester makes a solid living. He created the nickname, deal hunter, intending to establish a commercial identity. Lester broken and dependent is a slave to the man.

    I was looking for an Image Grammar strategy to help get me warmed up for some creative writing. I found one asking me to create some new poetry derived from the words of other poems. It was exactly what I was looking for. The underlined words are the ones that can be found in the other poems.

Image Grammar by Harry R. Noden
Chapter 1: The Writer as Artist
Strategy 4: Stimulate Images with Derived Poetry.

Poem derived from "Hector The Collector," by Shel Silverstein.

People need to be patched-up
Souls need to be reshaped

Junk leaves us cluttered-up
Our minds need to be escaped

Drink life's love or be dried-up
Don't let fear lead you to hate

Poem derived from "Hector The Collector," Shel Silverstein.

Broken bottles and bits of brick
Sudanese nights are fast and quick

Gatling guns and golden treasure
People dying from earthly pleasures

Bent-up, soar, and broken
Sudan rise-up and speak words unspoken

Poem derived from "Wolves," John Haines.

Howling wolves bark at the moon
Singing a brave and polished tune

Human voices drifting afar
The wind carries their words out past the North Star

Sounds fill the calm night air
This is natural music for the entire world to share

    I found a strategy in Image Grammar that got my creative juices flowing. The strategy asked me to find a piece of nonfiction and transform it into a short fictionalized story. I used this strategy as an opportunity to practice zooming and layering. I took advantage of specific nouns, specific verbs, participles, absolutes, appositives, prepositional phrases, and adjectives out of order in my brush strokes for this story.

Image Grammar by Harry R. Noden
Chapter 9: Closer Look at One Form of Nonfiction
Strategy 3: Experiment with Forms
Nonfiction Article: Two Promising Places to Live, 1,200 Light-Years Form Earth

    1,200 light-years from Earth in the Lyra Constellation, two habitable planets exist. Kepler 62F and Kepler 62E are sister planets with climates similar to Earth.
    My mission, exploring Kepler 62F, will take three years with light speed capabilities. I will travel for two years and explore the surface of Kepler 62F for one year.
    I am prepared for my journey. My expertise is aquatic vehicles and underwater research. Kepler 62F consists of about 75% water. I consider myself the perfect candidate for the job.
    Dreaming of the future, I think of the adventure ahead of me. Creatures strange and unimaginable are bound to exist somewhere on Kepler 62F.  I imagine fish beautiful and mysterious swimming freely, scales glowing in neon, fins swishing gracefully through the water.
    I imagine the names I will call all of my discoveries. the plants noble and true, the animals varied and wonderful, the landscape vast and uncharted all needed to be named.
    I ready myself for a year long sleep. I take my last breath and close the door. I am on my way.

   

    I found an interesting strategy in Image Grammar that allowed me to further practice imitation as well as using brush strokes. The strategy provided me with a fairly basic urban legend and asked me to embellish it. I tried to effectively utilize specific nouns, specific verbs, appositives, prepositional phrase, and adjectives out of order in my sentences.

Image Grammar by Harry R. Noden
Chapter 8: Story Grammar and Scenes
Strategy 2: Build Visualized Scenes with Urban Myths

    On a muggy July night, Carl silent and somber wondered down the main street of Shade Creek, Colorado past McCreedy's Funeral Home. He sauntered past the open door, hearing the sounds of funeral music and noticing his friends crowded in the entry. An icy tingle crept down his spine, and he is driven toward the commotion. Carl entered a large room, the parlor, and thought it was peculiar that no one noticed him. He waved hello to Anne Collins, his ex-girlfriend, but she did not respond. Anne upset and unnerved did not even look at him. Carl then saw his friend, John Harlow, and tried to have a conversation with him without any luck. John stoic and proud walked over to the casket. Carl trailed behind John and looked into the Oak coffin. He observed his own face smiling at him. His blank eyes wide open gazing into his very soul. 

    Taking a lesson from fifteenth-century scholar Erasmus, I found another strategy in Image Grammar to help me practice imitation and improve my vocabulary. Erasmus would give his students a sentence. He would then ask them to produce five new sentence that communicate the same message as the first.

Image Grammar by Harry R. Noden
Chapter 6: The Artist's Special Effects
Strategy 2: Return to Erasmus

Example: Don't worry about the world coming to an end today because it's already tomorrow in Australia. (Charles Schulz)
1. Stop fretting about Armageddon occurring today because tomorrow already happened in Australia. 
2. Quiet your concern of Earth ceasing existence today because Australia is already experiencing tomorrow.
3. Cease your fears of an Apocalypse on this day because Australia has already made it to tomorrow.

Example: The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us. (Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes)
1. The best evidence that evolved aliens inhabit space is that they have never attempted to communicate with Earth.
2. Solid proof advanced extraterrestrials occupy the galaxy is that they refuse to establish human relations.
3. Support for the idea that superior life forms traverse space can be found in the belief that they have not revealed themselves to the people of Earth.

Example: There 's no such thing as fun for the whole family. (Jerry Seinfeld)
1. The idea of something being enjoyable for the entire family is absurd.
2. The thought of an activity being loved by every member of a family is ridiculous.
3. A whole family finding joy in a activity is impossible to believe.

Example: When somebody tells you nothing is impossible, ask him to dribble a football. (Anonymous)
1. If a person insists everything is possible, tell them to dribble a football.
2. Teachers may tell their classes nothing is impossible, but they have never dribbled a football.
3. I believed I could accomplish anything, until I attempted to dribble a football.

Example: Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees. (David Letterman)
1. Autumn is the best time of year in The City of Angels, seeing the birds turn different hues and drop from the trees.
2. October and November are my favorite months in California, observing the foul morph into different colors and cascade down from the trees.
3. Fall is my most beloved time of year in Los Angeles, staring at the birds as they transform into different colors and rain down from the trees.

    I found a fun strategy in Image Grammar to help me practice imitation and working with parallel structures.  The words that I have underlined are the words that are different from the original versions.

Image Grammar by Harry R, Noden
Chapter 3: The Artist's Rhythms
Strategy 6: Imitate the Rhythms of Parallel Structure

1. Between what I should know and what I actually know, between what happens and what never starts, between the boundaries of reality and the freedom of dreams lies the consciousness of humanity.

2. Some days you dodge bullets. Some days you get hit. Some days you smell roses. Some days you smell like rotten trash. Some days are made for change.

3. If there are no angels, if heaven really doesn't exist, if God is only a myth, then how do you explain the universe? And most of all, how do you explain the Earth? Beyond doubt lies the truth.

4. When all hope is lost, when light fades from the universe, and when love ceases existence, only then will God have abandoned humanity.

5. This is a man who loves, a man who teaches, and a man who cares this is Buddha.

6. This was a place where blood was split, where strong men once fought, and where love died.

    I have been working on improving my ability to paint images with words in my writings. As a way to practice, I selected a strategy from Image Grammar and  focused on using zooming and layering techniques to create brush strokes. I attempted to incorporate specific nouns, specific verbs, participles, absolutes, appositives, prepositional phrases, and adjectives out of order in my sentences.

Image Grammar by Harry R. Noden
Chapter 2: Artist's Eye
Strategy 8: Breathe Life into Dead Character Descriptors

    My buddy, Dan, smashed and bewildered, teetered around the party. I knew his salvation from drunken Hell rested on my shoulders. Plotting a course of action, I established our escape route.
    The party, a maze of drunks, writhed like the inside of a bee hive. I made my way over and guided Dan towards the front door.
    Asking for trouble, Dan groped several ladies on the way out. Threatening to castrate Dan, the ladies, drunken divas, transform into a feminist mob.
    They had us surrounded. I stood beside Dan, heart pounding with concern, mind racing with words to say. Attempting to be civil, I apologized for Dan's drunkenness. My words fell on deaf ears. Since these ladies were not into the teachings of Jesus Christ and could not forgive, I knew I could not let them crucify Dan for his mistakes.
    Our salvation came in the form of an open front door. I grabbed Dan and thrust him past a few people and out of the house. My mission was a success. Dan and I had made it outside of the house and were safely on our way home.