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Imagination is the beginning of creation. -- George Bernard Shaw "One can't believe impossible things," said Alice. "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." ---- Alice in Wonderland "A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." -- Richard Bach Clear and cool, clear and cool, By laughing shallow, and dreaming pool. --- from Water-Babies Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.--Anne Sexton Here today, up and off somewhere else tomorrow! Travel, change, interest, excitement! -- Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows "I write when I'm inspired, and see to it that I'm inspired at nine o'clock every morning. -- Peter DeVries
Teach us delight in simple things, |
Journaling: Take your journal outdoors, to a park, lake, mountain, river, or your own backyard. Close your eyes and sit quietly for several minutes. What do you hear? Birds, water, lawn mowers? What do you feel? The wind teasing strands of hair around your face? Warm, moist grass tickling your legs? What do you smell? Flowers, BBQ, damp soil? Describe your surroundings using all your senses except your eyes. Jot down your impressions.
Riverwriting nonfiction: Pretend you are describing yourself to someone you just met. Set a timer for 10 minutes and write down every fact about yourself you can think of. List your hobbies, interesting experiences, fears, triumphs, jobs you’ve held, challenges you’ve faced, people you know. Now take a look at the list of subjects you have to write about. Think of different articles you can write about one subject with different slants. Be creative. For instance, my husband and I used to have an ostrich farm. No, really, we did. One of the less enjoyable chores was disposing of the 350-pound carcass when one of them died. I compared the process of disposing of a dead ostrich to dealing with problems in your marriage and wrote a humorous article that was purchased by Focus on The Family. How’s that for creative?
Riverwriting a scene for
fiction: Just for fun, use a character from your current work
in progress, or make one up, and place them in a scene where they
are trying to get rid of something which keeps showing up. Riverwrite--write
quickly and see what comes out. Is it funny, suspenseful, or senseless?
Can you clean it up later and use it in your current work or use
it to start something new?