Upside Down, Inside and Out

Nudging into creativity today, I ran in a pattering of rain. Puddles and reflections encouraged ways to view nature upside down. What fun to notice leaves relaxed in their morning spa.

Spokes of spider webs draped from the bridge railing.  Dappled with beads of dew, they refracted rain from the droplets. Fir trees stood on their heads as squirrels twisted down oak trees in search of breakfast.  In the ponds, ducks ventured upside down to feed beneath the surface, tails wriggling in the breeze. Even the herons appeared to search for a reversal.

When we take the opportunity to break from the ordinary and move out of a mind set, it clicks our imagination into a fresh gear. Ideas and ways to view our life's challenges appear from the inside out with a variety of connections.

Notice the leaves in communal hugs on a park bench. What a better world we'd have if everyone shared a morning upside down and inside out. 

Creative Write:  Approach the day upside down.  What do you have hiding inside that wants to come out.  Write about it!

A Wander and Zipper of Possibilities

Curiosity leads my eyes and ears on adventures each day.  I search for connections and revelations around corners and behind buildings.  Yesterday, this tree intrigued.  From underneath, across the street, and at all angles, it provided questions.

The click of a camera captured an essence of elephant that Dr. Seuss could appreciate.  I felt the texture of its leaves, so alive and ready to explore with me. Maple leaves crunched under my feet and sent me to another level of experience as I searched in a holly bush for finches.  The next turn of pavement revealed that my Volkswagen Beetle, Blue Stu, does follow the path of evolution.

We take everyday items for granted.  Just imagine the creative minds behind them.  Think zipper.  Did Mr. Zipper, consider a solution to keep the wind away more a button could?  Did he happen upon railroad tracks?   Then an "Aha" moment struck?  The paper clip could have evolved from an orthodontist tired of bending one more wire. He twisted, turned it and tossed it on his desk.  Then he uncluttered papers instead of straightening teeth. 

Feathers inspired the notion of Velcro. How did the key or safety pin arrive for use?  Imagine the person who became frustrated with burned fingers and designed the coffee collar. Discomfort has produced an intrigue with problem solving.  The creativity of the human spirit amazes. 

Creative Write:  See where your senses take you as you move through the day.  Consider life's conveniences as a result of connections and revelations.Write stories or poems with questions. 

Write like a camera in motion

Writing that communicates like a movie camera eliminates telling the reader what to think.  It records the situation in sights, sounds, scents and tastes.  This camera has no adjectives to clutter nouns and adverbs to rob verbs of their intensity.  It pans the landscape of ideas with angles and occasionally flips upside down for perspectives.

When writing, notice the space beyond and between objects you describe.  How can you bring in more texture and connections?  Let nature inform your writing and fire your curiosity.

Creative Write:  Explore your complexities against a backdrop of  the natural world.  Avoid using abstractions like hope and love and beautiful.  Dive into your mental landscape and show it to the reader.