Learn how to use explode the moment to improve your writing.

1. EXPLODE THE
MOMENT! Definition: Selecting one specific moment and
blow it up as if you are experiencing it in slow
motion. Emphasize the moment by describing
every movement, sensation, and second in detail.
Remember everything you were seeing, thinking,
hearing, at the moment.

2. When to Use it
Think about a movie in slow motion.
Is the entire movie in slow motion, or
does the director only select certain
parts? What are some things that a
movie director will put in slow
motion? Why?

3. Example:
As the sweat soaked through my deep blue
uniform, and my heart began to beat like a
horse’s legs thumping against the coarse sand
of a racetrack, with a face distinguished by
fear, but the heart of a champion, I stepped
up to the plate. As the pitcher made a
windup, my throat began to crack and
crumble and my socks began to whither. I
clenched and unclenched my white knuckles
around the bat. My knees began to knock and
a lion came alive inside of me. I pulled the
bat up behind my shoulder and gathered all
my strength like a coiled snake.
Craig Bartosh

4. When to Explode a
Moment
• A moment of discovery
• A moment of fear
• A moment of embarrassment
• A moment of despair
• A moment of triumph
• A moment of defeat
• A funny moment
• A moment of betrayal
• A moment of sadness

5. So How Do You Explode
a Moment?
• Use physical pictures of what is going
on
• Tell us what is going on in your head
• Add dialogue

6. Flipbook
Make sure you have filled in the definition and an
example of an exploded moment. For your example,
choose one of the topics below and EXPLODE THE
MOMENT with details. Make sure you choose one
specific moment (2-5 seconds)
• Opening a birthday gift
• Hitting a baseball through your window
• Getting caught cheating on a test
• Slipping on a banana peel in the cafeteria
• Missing the game-winning point
• Finding your name on the list of “who made
it” (sports team, band or orchestra chair,
theater performance, etc.)

7. Flipbook
Make sure you have filled in the definition and an
example of an exploded moment. For your example,
choose one of the topics below and EXPLODE THE
MOMENT with details. Make sure you choose one
specific moment (2-5 seconds)
• Opening a birthday gift
• Hitting a baseball through your window
• Getting caught cheating on a test
• Slipping on a banana peel in the cafeteria
• Missing the game-winning point
• Finding your name on the list of “who made
it” (sports team, band or orchestra chair,
theater performance, etc.)