A writing exercise, or two

This one comes thanks to the American Short Fiction blog, on which I discovered artist Mark Menjivar’s intriguing photo project: a collection of photographs of what’s in people’s refrigerators, appropriately called “you are what you eat.” From the freezer filled with nothing but meat and tequila to the fridge containing only two items, it’s an interesting look at the way people live. And it’s definitely thought-provoking for writers.

So here are two exercises for you to do after you’ve checked out the photos:

1) Open your fridge. Take a photo. Write about what you see: why it’s there, what you’d like to be different, what it says about you, and anything else you can think of.

2) Choose a photo from Menjivar’s project — but avoid reading his description of the fridge’s owner. Instead, make up a character based on what you see in his/her fridge, including backstory, relationships, work, passions, the whole thing.

Enjoy.