Describing an object

Paint with words:  Find an object to focus on. Study the object for a few minutes. Notice everything about it. Now write a description without mentioning the object.

*

The sleek chrome finish still gleams, despite its age, refracting a distorted image of the work space around it, and my tired eyes reflecting off the cap and bending down the curved surface, halted only by the orange trim of the seal. Tiny flecks of dirt and grime circle around the stained seal in those hard to reach spots, yet still visible nonetheless.

 The hemispherical dome of the cap comes to an abrupt stop and cuts straight across, for a flat circular top that can stand easily when removed. The circular top shines brighter than the rest, with circular grooves spiraling from the centre out to the rim. As I move my head, I can see triangular slices of light reflecting and changing like a kaleidoscope.

A small sticker of a blender sticks oddly out of place, yet still apt, to the rounded metallic side of the tube. A student had wished to give me a sticker from her vast collection and at the time, had nowhere else of prominence to display it on my desk. She seemed content with that.

 On the opposite side to the sticker, the black lettering on the tube is faded, all but disappeared. The fault of positioning the label exactly where my hands would grasp it everyday, my fingers almost touching as I clasp my hand around it. It is surprisingly light and cool to the touch. Sweat from my hands has eroded the manufacturers logo and intended purpose of the object. The only wording that remains is on the flat bottom of the cylinder – “Made in China”. No surprise there. Both the bottom and the cap were punctured with two small dents from where I had clumsily dropped it before I was fully awake. The light, cheap materials giving way to the harsh wooden floor. The dent to the bottom now causes it to wobble, just a fraction, but enough to irk me sometimes. If I give it a little tap, I can hear it drum ever so slightly from side to side before settling down and I can settle back down to my work.

*

This task was more difficult than I originally envisaged. Being asked to describe something without mentioning it is a difficult feat, and shows how much we rely on simple words without really describing the exact picture you have in your mind for your story. 

I had this issue with my short story in which everyone viewed the Doctor's office completely different from each other, and different to what I had envisaged myself. I now know that I need to go back and real/y paint a picture of that scene and make the audience see what I see.

And now for the big reveal. It was ..............................................

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A coffee flask.  I felt it best not to allude to the contents, as this would give too much away, but there were some subtle hints to my sleepy demeanour that I hope would be picked up on by the reader. It was also hard to refer to the 'tube' without resorting to words such as container.