Write an Amazement

"What a terrible mistake to let go of something wonderful for something real." - Miranda July

What would you trade for wonderful?  How much practical would you release for a creative solution? Inspire breakthroughs that boost the ability to meet real world challenges.

Creative Write: Write about your last major amazement.  Go beyond the adjectives to reveal sights, sounds, colors, textures and tastes.

Write the Three

The three things we crave most in life: happiness, freedom, and peace of mind, are always attained by giving them to someone else. 

The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped. You have two hands. One to help yourself, the second to help others. — Unknown

Which three things in life mean the most to you? 

If you feel they involve happiness, freedom and peace of mind, give examples. 

Of the three which one would you give away? 

How would you keep the best going?  

In what ways will writing help you attract more experiences in these areas?

Write to Change Your Senses

Do you depend on one sense in your writing and forget to use a variety of sights, sounds and scents to enrich the text?

Select paragraphs from your favorite writer or a piece of your own writing.  Notice what sense prevails. What if you remove it and replace it with another?

Observe the use of adjectives and adverbs. Replace them with a metaphor or action verb to expand meaning.

How would you:

Describe a sunset without the use of color?

Reveal music without sound?

Comment on a meal without describing its taste?

Show the scent of a rose in metaphor?

Challenge your writing by adding elements you don't usually consider.

A Hopi Elder's View

This is the hour for considerations. A river flows now. It moves so swifty that those will be afraid.  They will try to hold onto the shore. They will feel torn apart.  Know the river has its destination.  The elders say we must let go of the shore and push into the middle, keep our eyes open and heads above water.

Where are you living?

What are you doing?

What are your relationships?

Are you in the right relationship?

Where is your water?

Know your garden.

Speak your truth.

Create your community.

Do not look outside yourself for the leader.

Who is in there with you to celebrate?  

Take nothing personally least of all yourself.  The time for the lone wolf is gone.  Gather and banish the word struggle from your attitude and vocabulary.  

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

                                                                - from a folded paper found by the Willamette river.

Write to answer questions in ways to seek a celebration of renewal. 

Write What's Waiting Inside

Do you have a tickling inside that wants to come out in words?   Is a subject or theme rattling around in your brain?  Maybe you have written bits and pieces of the story, essay or poem?

Let those feelings, thoughts and meanings express themselves in an outline or freewrite.

Have you ever wondered what time travel might involve?  Create a situation and delve into it.

Do you wonder about life on another planet?

What if you became a character from your favorite novel and went beyond the book's ending?

Mine for new ideas. Discover what's waiting to come out in writing.

Develop An Athletic Writing Practice

"Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice reduces the imperfection." 

 - Toba Beta

"Practice creates the Master." - Miguel Ruiz

P reparation

       R evelations

             A ctions

                    C uriosity

                          T alent

                                I magination

                                       C enteredness

                                                E nergy

Similar to an athletic endeavor, writing depends on commitment, repetition, trial-and-error, and the insights gained. A positive habit develops the more an activity repeats. Confidence and skills increase with each writing activity. 

Ken Doherty shares his five S's of sports training: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit. The greatest is spirit. These apply also to writing with spirit driving the rest. 

Writers require a foundation in grammar. Expansion on the basics helps to develop communication that readers will enjoy.

A writer-athlete takes time to train by establishing a schedule of regular performance. Fingers and mind coordinate the communication skills of tossing and bouncing words across a page.  

Get started!

Promise a week's devotion. Choose a pen that flows color onto the page. Knowledge of touch typing will free the mind from hunting and pecking. Look beyond the keyboard as you type.

Set a time to develop consistency. Devote ten minutes as first. Discover the best time for the writing mind and muscles to activate. Try early morning, afternoon or evening sessions to
observe how they engage your personal energy and rhythm.

Find a location that provides an observation of nature, movement and connections. Engage with all the senses to enable subconscious thoughts to emerge. 

Settle before you write. Focus the breath with a five count in and out through the nose. Repeat five times.

Begin to write about what moves outside a window or in your  natural setting. Add sounds and scents. Color and texture will keep the flow going. 

Notice the ideas that appear. Don't judge them. Let them flow. Ask yourself, "Where will writing take me right now?" Observe and capture details.

Pay attention to sensations in the body to let the mind wander into areas not considered.

Encourage your child's mind out to play. Silliness and humor add to the mixture. Throw in a funky word or two. Equilate and delevate.

Leave the writing session when you do not want to quit. Stop while writing in a flow. This will encourage your return.

Engage those writing muscles!

Poem-in-a-Pocket Day: Silhouette Tease

Silhouette Tease

Wolf jumps

from the prairie

into the sky

and 

tries 

to

snatch the rabbit 

who lives on the moon

Once the moon glowed

clean as bone

until Sun flung

rabbit there

for 

resisting 

his bidding

to dash him

faster

around

the earth

Now Sun

lures wolf

hoodwinks him

with light beams

to 

reveal the rabbit 

in the moon

Sun laughs 

 as wolf howls

at the illusion

 - Penny Wilkes

          

Curiosity and Anger

" . . . anger is one of my favorite creative resources." 

 - Justin Kleon

Focus the feelings of anger on the curiosity of that emotion.  Avoid the first reaction of complaining or lashing out.

Instead of attempting to "get even" with the situation, redirect your energy. Take five deep breaths with the eyes closed.

Open the mind to imagination and creative connections.

Write with the color blue, a scent and a favorite song. Blend into the flow of words. You will surprise yourself at how quickly anger disburses.

Get Ready for Poem in Your Pocket Day

Tomorrow Is Poem in Your Pocket Day   Poem in Your Pocket Day is one of our favorite events during National Poetry Month. On this day, millions of people throughout the United States will carry poems in their pockets and share them with others. Here’s how you can participate...

Pick Your Poem   Find the perfect poem to share in ournew packet of public domain poems, prepared especially for this year’s celebration. Encourage Others to Participate   Help spread the word about Poem in Your Pocket Day on social media by using the hashtag #pocketpoem. Tweet the name of the poem you’ll be carrying to @POETSorg using #pocketpoem for a chance to win a copy of Jon J. Muth’s children’s poetry book Hi, Koo! courtesy of our friends at Scholastic.

A Writer's Question

Who am I?

If thrown out of window, it makes a wife grieve.
What's added to the front door helps sustain a life.

Ducks out of a row need a g to grow.

Fly removes why and becomes flea.

What happens to blooms in a  monsoon?

Have you solved the first riddle?

*
*
*
*

Amuse then reuse. 
        Leave out a letter or make an exchange for the better.

It's the letter N.  

A Word Garden

Flowers inspire ways to garden with words.  

Ideas plant the senses to blossom.

Sounds delve into depths of a tulip's shyness.

Like ants in a rush, remnants of rain follow on leaves.

In morning's shiver of dew, stars dot the landscape.

Moving in breezes,
tulip dancers toss petals 
into whirlygigs of mystery.

A cap of red veins teases the
exuberance of bees.


With ease, a bee molds its legs with pollen.

 Swish of a cape and a hidden mustashe twirls.

At sunset, a bell chimes to herald a patter of rain.
      

Cupcakes wait for frosting.

Memories fall from childhood's swing of discovery.

                     

Ignite the Imagination

Joan Miró, Spanish painter, sculptor and cermatitist loved reds, yellows, greens, and blues combined with black and white. Miró insisted that a painting should, "ignite the imagination."

Discovering objects such as spoons and rakes, he created sculptures. He felt anything accidental that occurred in his studio like paint drips or smudges would provide a new work of art.

Writers also can use a sandbox for the subconscious mind.  Consider unlikely and unrelated ideas that might collide to create a collage of experience.

Write from a new perspective.

Try a scent, an attitude and a screech to ignite the imagination.

Add a structure to it.

Find a texture.





Notice what's unlikely.

Add color and write to ignite!