Conjuring with Words

I want to witness the thirst inside the syllables:
I want to touch the fire within the sound:
I want to feel the darkness of the shout
I want words rough as virgin stones
                     -  from "Verb" by Pablo Neruda













Take time to write about ways you play with words.  How do they assist you in balancing life?

How do you discover a thirst inside the syllables?  Show your fire with sounds.

In what ways do you conjure words when you write about movement or consider uses of sorrow?

Imagine your life inside the Fun House mirror.

Did anyone ever give you a disaster that turned into a gift?

Write into new areas of darkness and light today.

Animal Instincts

"Like the owl, I want to be paid in mice and falling stars, take my midnights in the middle of the day." - Lance Larsen from the poem, "Chancellor of Shadows"

Consider the above description and how to develop a character based on animal instincts. Make a list of animal traits for your persona.

Take a look at some of the stories in this site for Aesop's Fables:http://aesopfables.com/

Other possibilities to try on yourself for development:

If you had donkey skills, how would you show stubborn? Or, are you a beast of burden?

With fox instincts, what does sneaky sound like?
Lion strengths include ferocity. Are you also a kitten at times?

A Black Phoebe is a workaholic, flying dawn to dusk capturing one insect after another. Does that apply to you?

Rabbits and Roadrunners are speedy. Are they as calculating as a tortoise?

Does a hummingbird's attention span define focus?

Elephants never forget. What do they do with their memories?

How would you combine several animal characteristics into one character?

Creative Write: Develop three lines to begin your character sketch. Then see how to mix and match.

Why Worry? Put Your Worries to Work!

Tibetans have a saying,  "If there's something you can do about it, why worry?  And, if there's nothing you can do about it , why worry?"


I like to think,  Birds Never Worry!  They just do what needs doing!  If you're a habitual worrier, put those worries to work.

Find a shoebox or a container you can close with a lid. For a week, keep a notepad with you. Write down each worry that trespasses or rages through your mind.  Put each in the container, close it and then let the worry go.

In a week, before looking into the container,  write about the worries you have placed inside. Can you even remember all of them?  Then, open the container and read the notes. How many of your worries happened?  How did you deal with the worries that did occur?

Revisit the worries to discover the creativity they will generate for you.  Write these worries into a story or poem. Worries keep our minds moving in aimless directions. We need to harness them as workhorses for our writing.  Consider the writing possibilities they will generate.


Take charge of your worries in this way and you'll always have writing material.