Before you begin to write, allow your mind to wander over the many different ways the word ground can pop up in everyday conversation. The word ground appears in many expressions. One can break, give, or stand ground. Things can be ground in, ground out, or run into the ground. There are groundswells, ground rules, and shifting grounds. Let your mind relax and repeat the … [Read more...] about Your Ground
Observation
Hats Everywhere
You don't have to mount much of a search to find a hat. On your head, in your pocket, under the couch. On someone else's head or in their pocket. Hats are everywhere. Write something that has a hat in it. A made-up story, or the real, true adventures of some intrepid hat that you have known. You could write about the social function of hats by asking yourself what certain … [Read more...] about Hats Everywhere
The Furniture
Write about furniture. Begin with a specific piece of furniture and see where your imagination takes you. You can write about furniture that you see, imagine, or remember. What makes a piece of furniture comfortable? Ugly? An heirloom? Tables and couches are certainly furniture. Are curtains, counters, and closets furniture? What about a bathtub? You can describe … [Read more...] about The Furniture
Where There Are People
Take yourself on a field trip to a place where there are other people. While you are there, collect details that you can write about later. Try to notice details that appeal to all of your senses. Here's the catch: Don't collect any details about the people. Instead of an actual, physical field trip, you can go on a field trip in your imagination. Do this by traveling in … [Read more...] about Where There Are People
When the Rain Comes
What happens in the natural world when rain begins to fall after a period of drought? How does the built world change when rainwater pours over it once again? In what ways do people change--in mind and body--when the weather goes from dry to wet? What types of activities or habits reappear in a person's life when rain begins to fall? What disappears? Think about these … [Read more...] about When the Rain Comes