Time Travel

A common theme in science fiction, time travel has been explored in wide-ranging works of fiction from H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine to Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife.  Scientists at Cornell University invented a time cloak. They hid an event for 40 trillionths of a second and tinkered with the speed of light. Many feel time travell's call.


Do you feel a fascination for time travel?  If you returned to a time in history, where would you go?  If you could observe a past event, in the moment, which one would you view?  


Choose a specific time and place in history and invent a character who observes it with today's knowledge.  Does the character want to change anything or could he or she adapt to crossing the country in a covered wagon and meeting the challenges of nature?  What would happen by adding today's conveniences?  


Have fun writing about time travel.
.

A Happening Place

The Pantai Inn attracts a variety of residents.  Each one arrives to go into hiding, assume a new identity, or change his or her life in some intriguing way.  The full staff protects individuals from something or creates possibiiities for the future.

Whatever they need - if they can pay - the clients arrive for consultations.  If they cannot pay by cash or credit card, other means are available by individual treaty.

What would you request at the Pantai Inn?  Or, create a persona who would pay a visit to this happening place.

Smell the Flowers

Stand close to a variety of flowers.  Discover the arrangement of petals, scent and color.  Note outlines inside that create faces or other images. Shape words to give your reader a picture of what you observe with all the senses.

Take two steps backward.  Observe again and travel where the details take you. Squint and notice from a side angle.  Focus attention to frame flowers with branches or leaves. Notice insects and their activities.

Finally, observe the flowers and how they fit into the landcape as a whole.  What else exists in the background?  Add sounds.

Do a freewrite and add emotions.  Let connections come to mind as you observe.  Lead into subjects and details from other aspects of life.

Combine the imagery with thoughts to connect to an event in your life.

The Reverence Potential

"Wherever people try to act together, they hedge themselves around with some form of ceremony or good manners, and the observance of this can be an act of reverence. Reverence lies behind civility and all of the graces that make life in society bearable and pleasant." - Paul Woodruff

Create a personal essay around the word, "reverence."  Do not use the word in your writing.  Write about what you feel, think and reflect about its meaning and necessity in our society.

Use a unifying metaphor or tell a fable that reveals the essence of reverence.  Create a ritual or ceremony that enhances the virtues of reverence.

Keep in mind a sense of Awe.  Begin by considering something greater that yourself.  You might begin your thinking and feeling by examining the virtues of respect, humility and charity revealed in concrete terms.

Where does reverence extend beyond spiritual associations?

Show an aspect of respect in a conversation between two individuals with disparate views.

What do humility and charity sound like?

How does one show the power of graciousness?

Does our culture often celebrate irreverence?

Push your writing to revive an ideal of reverence.

Beyond Familiarity

Think about someone you have known a long time. Select your spouse, a friend,  co-worker,  parent, or a child.  Take time to delve into your familiarity with this person.  


Write everything you perceive and believe.


Examine characteristics of the individual's personality: what he or she wears, says, loves, enjoys eating, doing and playing. Mine the details and add sensory aspects. 


Step back from your familiarity. Discover this person with innocent eyes to gain a fresh perspective. Forget biases and relationship issues. Write as if you were seeing them for the first in all the details.


Does a poem, essay or story evolve from this new view?  You might also have a Birthday gift to present.    

Detours

Deal only with the moment and not the possible consequences of your action.  - Mother Teresa

How many times have you focused so much on the end result of writing that you missed the opportunities and idea shifts?   You straight-lined it and rushed to the finish.  Speed didn't show the results expected did it?

In the initial stages of creativity, the writing process has no destination. It is right here, right now, one word after another. Speed and time do not matter. The focus moves beyond the obsession of getting something out that's perfect.

Writing should not become a struggle.  If it is you miss the moments in movement.

Don't fight barriers.  Get past any barrier.  Jump over or push it away.  Feel the victory of words that slide from fingers across the keyboard or when a pen flows on paper.

Let process and goal stay fluid.  You need to know what to accomplish and then you need to get rid of expectations.  Get out of the way of writing, take a detour, turn a different corner and play!

Creative Write:  Focus on a writing project that stumps you. Let detours assist your process. Move in directions beyond the barriers.

Word Flexing

Words have the power to assume many roles. Different meanings of one word enrich the text and enhance the reader's experience. Flexing your word power adds spice to writing practice.

Take a look at meanings for:

set
take
light
go  

Use each in a sentence or two and include all combinations.

Here's a start:  After you play the last set of tennis, set the table before at the time set following sunset.  Why settle for less?

Add words to the list and use your imagination. Flex those words.