What kinds of roads have you traveled lately? Some of them are literal roads, the kind where you go in a certain direction, cross streets, turn corners and end up at a destination that is a real place. Anybody can follow your route. Some of them are roads of life. They take you through time. You can’t take photos of the destinations, but they are real, too. They have … [Read more...] about So Many Roads
An Alphabet of Today
Alphabet of Today This is a good exercise for calming a swirling mind. You might not figure everything out, but at least you can put it in alphabetical order. Write the letters of the alphabet down the left-hand side of the page. Think about your day. What has happened so far? What's ahead. As words and thoughts float into your mind, write them down … [Read more...] about An Alphabet of Today
What Doesn’t Change?
They say that everything changes. Some say that everything is change. Is that true? Most of what we know won’t be the same after the sun blows up. (Will it?) Make a list of about 10 things that you are pretty confident are not going to change. Then comment on a few items on the list. Explain what would have to be different in order for one of these things to change. Tell … [Read more...] about What Doesn’t Change?
Collect Ten Words
Draw a big ‘X’ that divides your page into four sections. Choose one of the sections and write ten good words in it. A word is “good” if you like it. You can collect the words from anywhere–daily life, things you read, things you overhear. The very best place to collect words from, however, is your own writing. Here are some more ideas for word-collecting. After you … [Read more...] about Collect Ten Words
Change One Thing
Change One Thing Start with a sentence. Any sentence at all! If your mind is truly empty, begin with "Here is a sentence." Whatever your sentence is, write it down. For the next line, change one word from the line before and write the new sentence. Then change one word in that sentence to make a new one. Keep going until you fill the page. What kind of tale have you … [Read more...] about Change One Thing