Revise your poem or your
short story from lessons 2 and 3. If you have time, revise them both. Try to
make each word count. Look for better ways to say the same things. Perhaps there
are ways to make one sentence from two or three. Consider the the different
connotations with your word arrangements:
"Johnson told Mack to get out of town." [Direct and
threatening]
"Mack was chased out of town." [Implies that a group wanted Mack out
of town.]
"Discreetly, Johnson asked Mack to leave town." [Suggests that secrecy
and reputations are valued ... or that a cover-up is taking place.]
"With the the help of Johnson and a moonless night, Mack left town."
[Depending on the context, Johnson may want the best for
Mack.]
Say the words out loud, trying variations in sentence structure and
word choice. Spend a lot of time on the opening lines, especially for short
stories. Do they create suspense? What will make the reader continue reading? In
Poetry, is there a specific focus, or is the poem trying to do too much at once?
It's always best to limit your topic in short works.
Have fun with it!