They say a picture's worth a thousand words. Well, yesterday I was attempting to imitate Van Gogh's Starry Night with acrylics (thank you, Pinterest, for inspiring my mother), and I discovered why I prefer to paint with words. So let's put that nifty little phrase about pictures to the test. Take any picture - a photograph, something you've drawn (if you're not like me), or a famous painting - and try to describe it. Not just how it looks, but the feel it gives. Only you can't just say outright the feel it gives, because that's not painting with words, that's writing with words. I guess the key here is The Writer's #1 Rule: Show, don't tell.
I'd prefer to use a poem for this exercise, but you can use a sentence or a paragraph. Maybe start by making a list of words, or trying to figure out what feeling the picture gives you, and deciding what gives you that feeling. (After all, Atticus says Mrs. Dubose looks like a picture, but he doesn't say a picture of what.) This is a pretty random writing exercise, but I think it could be fun. Or frustrating. Enjoy!