Begin with a short description of something small. It can be an object, an action, or even an idea. Something in your immediate environment, something remembered, or something entirely imaginary. Then zoom away from the small thing and describe the bigger picture in which it sits. Begin with the phrase, "In the bigger picture..." Then zoom again and describe what's in an … [Read more...] about The Bigger Picture
Observation
Hot (Not) To Do Something
You know how to do things that other people don't. Write about (at least) one of them today. You can choose a mundane skill, such as one that maintains your health or your household. Or you can choose something more esoteric, a skill that you, but not everyone, has. Write in the voice of one who gives advice to the uninitiated, but instead of explaining what to do, … [Read more...] about Hot (Not) To Do Something
Ah, Plans…
2020 has been a year for telling wry jokes about plans. As if all plans lead to disappointment. Write about the other plans, the plans that you have right now that are clear and solid. Your immediate plans, for instance. Food for today. Tasks to finish, or start. What are your newest plans? Your post-pandemic plans? Do you have plans not to plan anything in certain … [Read more...] about Ah, Plans…
Choosing and Choosing
Every time you do something that you could have done differently, you make a choice. Some choices determine our lives. Where to live, whether to change careers, how to frame our inner autobiography. We also make choices without thinking, out of habit. If we make a choice the same way every time, it's still a choice. Fill a page with choices that you have made, big and … [Read more...] about Choosing and Choosing
Significant Vegetables
A vegetable is significant to you if it fills a meaningful role in your life. A vegetable is just about anything that isn't an animal or a mineral. Obvious vegetables are the ones we eat--or ought to. Unwelcome vegetables include mold and the grass that sprouts in a houseplant. Many objects are manufactured from vegetables--wooden tables, willow baskets, pencils and … [Read more...] about Significant Vegetables