Instructions for Undoing a Sunset
Write an impossible instruction manual by reversing a familiar event.
Time: 5–15 minutes
Pick a simple event such as sunset, rain, or a cup of tea cooling. The instructions can be poetic rather than logical.
What you need
- paper
- pen
Try this idea
- Choose the event and imagine its final state.
- Write three instructions that work backward, such as Gather the last orange from the windows or Fold the shadows away.
- Read the instructions as a short poem and give the manual a title.
A smaller version
Write one instruction for returning a single ray of light.
A good place to stop
Three impossible instructions finish the poem.
Make it work for you
Speak the instructions instead of writing. Choose a familiar everyday event if a large scene is hard to picture.
Another way in
Reverse a noisy event and make each instruction quieter.