Essay Machine Experiment (24/07)

In Retrospect 1
This post is an extract of [CLASS] #2: Friday July 24th Intensive.

This is the first writing exercise where the theme of touch starvation and the image of a hug first came up. Although I had mentioned touch starvation in my original Welcome post, I added that I was thinking of making it a story. It was specifically about a human that turns more inhumanely grotesque with every passing day they suffer from no physical touch. I wasn't thinking along the lines of what I'd written in this activity, hence why it isn't the first in my Folio!

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Our writing task revolved around creating sentences step by step, with the instructions steadily being revealed over time. This was meant to replicate how we don't know what the next sentence is going to be until we write it.

Here's how this experiment worked. David gave us an instruction for a sentence, and we would complete it. Rinse and repeat. He specifically asked for us to write one sentence, two at most for each entry. I was surprised by some of the staggering word counts other people in my class wrote on their devices.

1. Write a sentence that begins with, "One experience that sticks in my mind from living in Covid-times is..."
   One experience that sticks in my mind from living in Covid-times is hugging a pillow whilst in a video call.
   
2. Add sensory detail to the scene of the first sentence.
   The yearning of touch-starvation crawls all over my skin.
   
3. Focus on another sense.
   As I match their longing gaze on-screen, I say, "I wish I could hug you right now."
4. Discuss a memory connection to this scene. Start with something like, "It reminds me of..."
   I'm reminded of how disastrously short every hug I've ever had was.
5. Add a sensory detail to that memory.
   I miss hearing my friends hum in contentment as we embrace.
6. Make a speculation that connects the first scene and the memory. Begin with, "I wonder if..."
   I wonder if I could ask them for even longer cuddles when we can hug again?
7. Zoom out, and look at this trail of sentence. Make a speculation of where it all comes from, beginning with "I wonder if..."
   I wonder if I'm going to stay sane for much longer, isolated like this.
8. What do you notice about your feelings during the 1st, 4th or 7th sentences? Start with, "I feel/felt..."
   I feel like I need more physical affection now more than ever.
9. Zoom out again, this time making a proposition about the world, somehow arising from all these sentences. Begin with, "Maybe/Perhaps..."
   Maybe the world needs a lengthy cuddle right now.
10. How would you feel if your proposition about the world turned out to be true?
    I wouldn't be surprised if this statement was true - in fact, I know it to be so.
11. Finally, return to your original sentence and make a follow-up observation that provides a sense of closure.
    It's comforting to know that in any case, many other people would be hugging pillows in calls with loved ones too. We're, as cliché as it sounds, all in this together.