Operative words are the essential words in a sentence, story, poem, or script. Performers and spoken word poets stress or emphasize these words when performing to give them impact. We scan for them for test and highlight or visually emphasize them to draw attention, so that we can easily find them later.
- Look over your writings and choose important words or phrases the reoccur. Highlight them in some way; Draw a shape around them, make them bold, use a different color or material. These should be words or phrases that you are drawn to so trust your instinct. If you don't have anything already written down then create something new from whatever thoughts are in your head. Be honest with yourself.
- After you find at least three or four operative words or phrases isolate one and use it as inspiration for a random word continuos thought exercise. What does this word or phrase mean to you? why is it important?