Use the following three words in a story or poem:

BOOK

DECAY

MEDITATE

Use this image to write a hot, dusty scene or poem.

Look at the face of this woman (randomly selected from the internet – you can chose another stranger if you prefer, but careful not to stare for too long at someone in a cafe if you select someone in real life!)

Notice the details.

Start writing: describe her, describe her eyes, her hair, her mouth, her cheeks.

Write more. Use different words, words that take longer to find, words you have to hunt for in the crevasses of your mind.

Think about what her personality might be like, what she might be thinking.

Try to capture her image in words in the same way this photograph captures her visually.

Try to get a hold of her personality on the page, make her into a real character.

Remember, you should be doing this with the cast of characters who inhabit your imagination, whether you decide to share it in your final story or not.  Your readers deserve no less.