“Private pleasure is really just about your only guide for to how to write.” That sentence was penned by former U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan in Contemporary American Poetry: Behind the Scenes, an anthology of poets writing about writing poems. It’s spot on. Lots of people write. At different times, and with different motivations. So nobody can tell you how you ought to … [Read more...] about Writing for You
Writing
What Did You Expect?
Often the pain of an interaction or an event is compounded by the fact that we know it never should have happened. We endure what occurs. We try to heal. But underneath it all, some part of our idea of how the world works has been shattered. This is very difficult to analyze and repair. Today in your writing practice, write about being hurt. You can write about a single … [Read more...] about What Did You Expect?
Just the Junk
Do you have a spot where odd bits of stuff accumulate? A junk drawer? Or corner? Or basket? Or tabletop? Rummage around in your collection of so-called junk. Make a list of what's there. Then write about at least one thing that is on the list. You can find a longer version of these directions here. … [Read more...] about Just the Junk
Freewriting
Sometimes when you sit down to write, your mind is full of the things you could put down on the page. Then you pick up the pen and it all drains out. Nothing that you were thinking seems important anymore. Sometimes you know what you want to say, but the ideas roil so uncontrollably in your mind that it’s impossible to start. Then there are times when your mind feels … [Read more...] about Freewriting
In Praise of Your World!
We all live in the cocoon of our surroundings. What’s underneath you? A bed, a chair, your shoes? The floor, the ground, the molten core of the earth? What’s around you? A room, music, the weather? Today, take in your surroundings. Notice what is big and vast, such as thunder and the stars. Notice the tiny things, such as pollen and the mortar that binds the bricks in … [Read more...] about In Praise of Your World!