How to paint a picture with words:
2 steps…
Step 1: Zoom in on a brief moment.
Imagine a 60-something woman. She’s wearing blue jeans, a pink shirt, Keds.
Her hair is thick and short and silver. She’s walking hand-in-hand with a little boy who won't stop jumping.
The woman was my grandma, my babushka, in 1992.
I was the boy — and I was about to see a miracle:
It was hot. July. We were on our daily walk, a mile from the nearest glass of water. I licked my lips.
“I want water!” I said. “I NEED WATER!”
Grandma was patient. And calm. And magical.
“You want a drink?” she said.
“uh-huh.”
“Well I brought a thermos full of tea,” she picked up a stick. “Do you want tea instead?" She knew I loved tea.
“uh-huhhh.”
“Then make me a cup,” she tucked my thumb down and curled my fingers around it.
“Hold still,” she said, pouring the tea into my tiny clenched fist.
“oh-kay,” I said, motioning for her to stop just before the liquid spilled over.
“oh-kayyy, babushka!”
“OK,” she said. “Drink.”
I put my fingers to my lips and drank. My elbow rose with each gulp.
“ahhh,” I said. It was good. I felt better.
Step 2: Hold some details back.
The Reader’s imagination will fill in the gaps better than you think.
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Hey there, thanks for reading. :)
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Enjoy!
Eddie Shleyner
VeryGoodCopy, founder
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