Write down a word or phrase in the center of your page. Draw a heart around it. Draw a spiral that radiates outward from the heart. You are going to be writing on the lines of the spiral, so as the spiral grows, keep the lines at a distance from one another that will be good for writing on. Beginning with the word or phrase inside the heart, write one long sentence on the … [Read more...] about Heart of the Matter
Freewriting
One Page
“Keep your hand moving” is the catchphrase of freewriting. The idea is to write with little regard for what you are writing and get yourself into a state where ideas flow freely from your mind to the page. For many years, probably inspired by Natalie Goldberg, I wrote at least seven pages every day like that. (I have the filing cabinets stuffed with notebooks to prove it!) … [Read more...] about One Page
A Big Fat Pen
Sometimes your writing practice can feel like a burden. How can you make time to write a page in a busy day when already there is not enough time for what you must do? Easy. Write the page with a big fat pen. The biggest pen you can find. Or a crayon. Or even your finger dipped in mud. Let go of ideas about how you must pen literary paragraphs or tell a long and … [Read more...] about A Big Fat Pen
Freewriting
Freewriting is when you write whatever comes out of your pen without planning or paying attention to what you are "saying." You can freewrite by writing single words, one after another. You can also write phrases or sentences. Or some mixed up combination of everything. Freewriting wakes up your mind and gets you going whether you are feeling like you have something … [Read more...] about Freewriting