A Nature Walk

If you feel stuck with a writing project, discover ways to cross from one idea to another.

Notice a collage of color. Search for a variety of scents that float on the breeze. Use the tips of fingers to feel the texture of nature's offerings.

Take a chance by discovering a route into the wild you have never considered.

Look up, down and around for the unusual.

Who in the past has traveled this path?

Imagine a mystical creature to greet you.

Ask what if ?

Do you feel a sense of foreboding or an invitation to adventure?

Take a nature walk to stimulate curiosity and imagination.

Write About Rain

 "The poet puts down the title: "Autumn Rain." He finds two or three good lines about Autumn Rain. Then things start to break down. He cannot find anything more to say about Autumn Rain so he starts making up things, he strains, he goes abstract, he starts telling us the meaning of what he has already said. The mistake he is making, of course, is that he feels obligated to go on talking about Autumn Rain, because that, he feels, is the subject. Well, it isn't the subject. You don't know what the subject is, and the moment you run out of things to say about Autumn Rain start talking about something else. In fact, it's a good idea to talk about something else before you run out of things to say about Autumn Rain." ~ Richard Hugo


Start with a clean page or a blank screen. 

Choose to write about rain. 

Begin with all the situations you have experienced. Add scents, tastes, colors.Write whatever comes to mind. Keep going as other thoughts and feelings enter.

Take a break. Look around and out the window.

Start writing again. Let words flow concerning what occurs to you. 

Avoid writing about rain. 

Notice what happens.

Write About Contentment

“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” -  Henry Ward Beecher


Write about contentment that extends beyond a feeling of happiness.  What makes you feel Alive?

Develop a list of "common" things you enjoy. Include five or ten.  


What does the sun feel like after a steady rain?  

Cherish a taste of boysenberries just picked from the garden.  

Recall a scent that brings a memory. 

Notice a robin, bluejay or sparrow and write about its movement and behavior. 

Sing a few notes of a song with words of delight.

Look into a flower for faces or details. 

Watch the colors at sunset.

Revel in a dark night of stars and moonlight.

Deepen the experiences. 

Reveal how they add enrichment to your life.  

Respond to the details of their nature. 

Explore contentment in a story or poem.