The Physics of Fiction

7 Exercises to Make Imagery Feel Physical

⋙ Master the Fundamentals, Keep the Streak Alive ⋘
Bookmark these daily “streak savers” from Writing Streak.

Engage the senses! This is what we’re told, but our descriptions can become flat when we rely on the same paper-thin imagery. This week, we'll dive into the physical properties that shape our world—light, color, temperature, gravity, motion, and materiality—to create imagery that doesn't just describe places and things, but makes them tangible and weighty.

These exercises challenge you to use the world’s most sophisticated physics simulator, your mind. Can you recall and recreate how physical forces and properties manifest in our world? By focusing on these fundamental aspects of reality, you'll develop imagery that feels authentic and immediate, creating a more immersive experience for your reader.

Whether you're writing speculative worlds or contemporary settings, mastering the imagery of physical phenomena will transform your descriptive passages from mere background into active, engaging elements of your storytelling.

This Week’s Streak Savers 🪦

⋙ Monday, Mar 10: Light in the Darkness

Setup: A character is in an indoor location at night when the lighting suddenly changes.

Goal: Create immersive imagery that captures how light transforms a space and affects perception.

Constraints:

• Begin with either darkness or light as the initial state

• Include the moment when light switches on/off (through any means)

• End when the character's eyes have adjusted to the new state

Reflection: How would the emotional impact change if the character had been expecting/not expecting this light change?

⋙ Tuesday, Mar 11: Living Canvas

Setup: An artist is preparing to work on a painting, carefully selecting their palette.

Goal: Create vivid imagery through deliberate color choices that evoke mood and atmosphere in a scene.

Constraints:

• Name a few specific colors in the artist's palette (evocative names like "cobalt" or "cerulean")

• Transition from the artist's perspective to being inside the painting itself

• Use each named color at least once to describe elements within the painted world

Reflection: How did your specific color choices influence the emotional tone of the scene?

⋙ Wednesday, Mar 12: Temperature Escape

Setup: A character is leaving an environment of extreme temperature

Goal: Create sensory immersion through physical descriptions that make readers feel the temperature without directly stating it.

Constraints:

• Avoid directly naming feeling words like "hot," "cold," "warm," or "cool"

• Include a few physical and environmental reactions to the temperature

• Show the transition from extreme to moderate temperature

Reflection: Which sensory details proved most effective at conveying temperature?

⋙ Thursday, Mar 13: Elemental Shaping

Setup: A character observes a landscape that has been shaped by a natural force (like gravity, wind, water, and fire).

Goal: Create imagery that reveals the dynamic relationship between physical forces and environment, making the invisible visible.

Constraints:

• Choose one primal force

• Describe visible signs of how this force has sculpted the environment

• Move from static description to suggesting movement or change

• End with the character visualizing the force actively transforming the landscape

Reflection: How might you apply this technique to show less obvious forces (time, human activity, emotion) shaping other environments?

⋙ Friday, Mar 14: Verbal Intervention

Setup: A character performs a distinct physical action that deserves its own unique word.

Goal: Create precise imagery through linguistic innovation, focusing attention on a specific physical movement.

Constraints:

• Invent a new verb that sounds fitting for its meaning

• Begin by establishing the context before the action occurs

• Use your invented verb without directly explaining it

• Follow with description that indirectly reveals the verb's meaning

Reflection: How did creating a specific word for a precise action change how you approached the description?

⋙ Saturday, Mar 15: Sensory Consumption

Setup: A character is about to eat a dish that has distinctive tactile qualities.

Goal: Create immersive sensory imagery focused on texture and materiality that makes readers physically respond to the description.

Constraints:

• Begin with a brief tactile description of the eating environment

• Show the interaction between utensils and food before consumption

• End with the moment of consumption using tactile words to describe the sensations

Reflection: How does focusing on texture rather than taste create a more visceral reading experience?

⋙ Sunday, Mar 16: One-Page Physical Property Story

Setup: A character is deeply affected by a specific physical property (gravity, light, temperature, texture, etc.) during a pivotal moment.

Goal: Create a cohesive narrative where a physical property serves as both literal element and thematic metaphor.

Constraints:

• Choose one physical property explored earlier in the week

• Start with how this property affects your character physically

• Describe the setting primarily through manifestations of this property

• Include one meaningful object that embodies or interacts with this property

• End with a scene where the property undergoes a significant change, paralleling a change in the character

Reflection: How did using a physical property as both literal element and metaphor deepen your story?

3 Alternate Exercises 🫰 (Paid Content)