This Week's Practice Exercise

Gut Feeling

Prepared by: Loretta Russell and Ruth Douillette
Reposted on: Sunday, December 13, 2009
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In less than 400 words, write a scene in which a character has a flash of intuition. Show the character's response to the feeling, and what the outcome is.

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The dictionary definition of intuition is "quick and ready insight, the act or process of coming to direct knowledge without reasoning or inferring." It is derived from the Latin word "intueri" which means "to see within." Intuition is a way of knowing or sensing the truth without benefit of logical explanation.

Most likely you've experienced the sense that something will happen, or you may have had a prickle of warning about a person, although there is no logical reason for you to feel this way. Call it a gut feeling or a hunch--you may have paid it no mind, or completely changed your plans based on the feeling.

Here are some examples to prime your pen:

You passed on a blind date, and later discovered the guy was a killer.

You pulled into a rest stop, but something didn't feel right, so you drove off just as Highway Patrol vehicles pulled in.