[Note: I found the below short paragraphs I wrote – they are writing exercises in a book called ‘Writing Alone and with Others’. When re-reading those words that I wrote about 3 years ago, I almost couldn’t believe I wrote them! Not that they are good, but because they are about things that are unrelated to my life at all. It has become hard for me to write about pure fiction the past few years. Not sure why – but it’s an interesting reminder that I’ve actually got that in me.]

EXERCISE –  a house from the point of view of a young couple who is about to buy it

This is a dream-come-true type of house – not too big, not too small; not too far away from the city center (15 minutes driving to the central station) and not too close to crowds (it extends along a narrow crossroad off the main road so people rarely walk past the house). Outside, it is painted ivory white, same color as a wedding dress. It was built 20 years ago but repainted just this past summer, so everything is still clean. The front lawn is carefully taken care of, with two rows of colorful flowers next to a paved stone path. Inside, it is decorated family style with wooden themed sofas, cupboards and carpets. You can sense certain warmth all around the house, even without the fire turned on.

EXERCISE – same house from point of view from a man whose wife left him and they argue about the ownership of this house

He does not want to sell the house. It was bought by him and his soon-to-be ex-wife twenty-five years ago when they were welcoming their first kid. They were not rich back then – he was a brand new doctor and her wife worked in advertising. They earn a comfortable salary together but buying a house in the richest neighbourhood just outside of the city was still a stretch for them. They went to probably like 30 open houses and were frustrated – houses they could afford had this and that faults, while perfect houses were all well beyond their budget. Until this house – they fell in love at the first sight – it was the right size – three bedrooms (they want one boy and one girl only – so they could accompany each other – but not too many because they are not as well off to afford that and they are busy at work so not so much time for raising more than two kids. There was one study upstairs and one in the basement, which the husband adores because he always wanted some alone time – and a quiet study in the basement was perfect. He could play rock or guitar solo and read at the same time, with the door locked. There was a cozy backyard with a hot tub already built. Massages and hot tubs are essentials for the wife. She just lied on the grass for 15 mintues straight bathing under the sun on the first showing. There were countless good memories in this house and he could not fathom giving it away to some strangers, where his memory would be erased and covered.

EXERCISE – describe a motel room to let the readers know who rented it

Twenty minutes away from the city center of Crosby, the home-run thirty-year-old motel is usually quiet during lunchtime. Overnight stayers would have checked out right after an early breakfast and hit the road again to their next destination. There is a long-term tenant who works in a nearby restaurant as a waitress and does not get back to her room around 11 pm every night, except for every Tuesday when she is off for the day. Other than that, the motel is dead asleep every noon, including the owner who sits at the front desk. Not today, when an unusual guest arrived just around noon and awakened the owner who just dozed off. The woman seems a bit shy but excited, with her cheeks blushing. She checked out a room asking for 2 hours. She left for room 201 once getting the room key, with her two arms holding two baskets . The owner wonders what the basket holds after smelling some nice flavor of lasagna but did not bother to ask. Around 15 mintues later, a black Volvo steered off the main highway and parked in front of the motel. A middle-aged man with a big belly got off, looked around, and went straight to the second floor without passing by the front desk. Nobody noticed as the owner already went back to nap again.

EXERCISE – describe a kitchen including details that makes us laugh

Every appliance in this kitchen is used exactly once, and it is once too much. Elizabeth is a spoiled girl who grew up in a mansion with 8 different nannies for who knows what functions. Every now and then, E would pick up a new hobby involving using something in the kitchen after browsing Vogue or some other lifestyle magazines at the hair salon. This time, E became interested in making her own tapioca, And this would mark the first and only time the small sized pot’s life time. By the time E mixed the flour, butter and oil together and made them into a mixture with some resemblance with the one in the instruction video, she was already too tired to care for any next steps. Throwing the entire chunk into the pot holding boiling water, you could imagine what catasrophe ensued. Blaming the depth of the pot being too prone to cause splashing, E for sure would not use it again.