Back in the day we called the December-January school break: Christmas Break.
We called Columbus Day: Columbus Day.
We didn’t care about calories, especially on Thanksgiving and for holiday meals.
We played outside with kids in our neighborhood.
We “scrolled” through comic books.
We danced to music from jukeboxes.
Writing Prompt: Back in the day.
What do you need?
Right now. What do you need?
Other prompts relating to need:
What do you need to hear? Lin Manuel Miranda pondered this question and the result is surprising.
Want vs need. Discovering wants versus needs.
| Guest Blogger Suzanne Murray shares why freewrites inspire writing: I have taught the creative writing process for more than twenty years, working in part with a technique known as “freewriting” where I encourage participants to “just let it rip”. We don’t worry about punctuation, spelling, grammar or whether it is good. We suspend the censor and let our first thoughts spill out onto the page. People new to the class are always nervous about this kind of letting go. Since I write and share my own raw writing with the group, I was rather nervous when I first started teaching the classes but found that by maintaining a safe and sacred atmosphere of unconditional acceptance for whatever wanted to come forth it really calmed the fear for everyone. We learn quite early to fear making mistakes. We all have a well-developed censor that confines us within the limiting parameters of being socially acceptable. Neuroscientists have identified a part of the brain, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) that is closely associated with impulse control. It keeps us from embarrassing ourselves or saying the wrong thing to our boss or spouse. Young children create so naturally because their censors don’t yet exist. The DLPFC is the last part of the brain to fully develop. Around 4th grade it engages and children lose interest in making art in the classroom. If we are worried about making a mistake, saying the wrong thing or doing something poorly we often end up doing nothing at all. The censor has us holding back our latent talent. In a study by a neuroscientist looking at brain activity in jazz musicians engaged in improvisation, research subjects showed increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with self-expression, while at the same time the DLPFC or censor appeared to deactivate. At this point there is a surge of raw material coming forth but rather than being random or chaotic it is organized or structured by the rules of the form. In the case of jazz musicians, they naturally improvised in the right key and tempo. I have noticed this tendency in my freewriting workshops. Students bypass the censor yet they also naturally wrote in the form that seemed to most call or appeal to them. Individuals drawn to poetry and who read a lot of poetry had the raw writing take on a poetic quality. The same was true with fiction, memoir or non-fiction. It’s why I always tell people that reading the kind of writing you want to do is one of the best things you can do to improve your work because when you let go and let the creativity flow, your brain then has a sense of how to organize it. When we let go, we have access to the vast storehouse of the unconscious mind. I really encourage creative play and practice, free from the expectation that we have to produce something, as a way to opening up to our creative gifts and talents. Learning to let go and create an atmosphere of inner permission, acceptance and allowance can really help us more fully express ourselves creatively. Now in the time to really let our creativity fly in our own live and the world. Wishing you all well. Sending you all lots of love and inspiration, Suzanne Suzanne Murray is a gifted creativity and writing coach, soul-based life coach, writer, poet, EFT practitioner and intuitive healer committed to empowering others to find the freedom to ignite their creative fire, unleash their imagination and engage their creative expression in every area of their lives. |
| Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Combining Western psychology with Chinese acupressure, it works to actually rewrite subconscious patterns and limiting beliefs that keep us stuck. I’ve had miraculous results and have been working with EFT in new ways that allow us to laser in on the issue and shift it at the core and change your life from the inside out. We often make significant shifts in a single session. Sessions are available by phone and Skype. CREATIVE LIFE COACHING Would you like to live from an expanded place of grace, ease and flow? Would you like to tap the wisdom and power of your heart and soul? We work with soul based ways to let go of limitation and gain clarity of the next steps to living a more joyful, authentic life. CREATIVITY COACHING Do you want to experience the pleasure and joy that comes from adding satisfaction and meaning and a sense of well being to your life through creative expression. I will offer practical, emotional and soulful strategies to help you fully uncover your creative gifts and support yourself in expressing them. I will provide encouragement and support in understanding of the creative process and its stages and exercises for accessing the wisdom of your imagination. I’ll help you set realistic goals and support you in achieving them. We will work with tools for coaching yourself through the issues that get in the way of your creativity including career concerns, blocks, limiting beliefs, relationship issues and the existential and spiritual questions that can arise from wanting and needing to create. THE HEART OF WRITING COACHING Do you want to ignite your creativity and show up to your writing on a regular basis or go deeper into the process and craft? I offer online coaching to support you and coach you through any resistance or problems along the way. I can send you daily lessons and assignments that cover important aspects of the writing process and information on craft. I hold the space of unconditional acceptance and support to nurturing your unique voice and work on the stories that are really important to you. The Heart of Writing eBook Jumpstart the Process, Find Your Voice, Calm the Inner Critic and Tap the Creative Flow I have been working an exercise a day through your The Heart of Writing eBook. I love it! It’s like being in class again. – Tonya Osinkosky Now available on Amazon Kindle! http://amzn.to/1d7oe60 or still available is a pdf download from my website (includes a one hour mp3 interview about writing process) https://www.creativitygoeswild.com/the-heart-of-writing/ For more detailed information on all my offerings check web site at https://www.creativitygoeswild.com or call Suzanne Murray at 707.360.7776 or email creativitygoeswild@gmail.com . Also check out my Blog at https://www.creativitygoeswild.com/blog-1/ for ideas on writing, creativity and life coaching. Follow me on Twitter at @wildcreativity where I tweet inspirational quotes for creativity and life. |
What can you control?
What can you let go of?
If you could invite anyone to share a meal with, dead or alive, who would you invite and why?
“Your main job as a writer is to transport the reader to a fictional world, as in a dream. ” — “The Geyser Approach to Revision,” James Scott Bell, July/August 2011 Writer’s Digest Magazine
You probably know this, but perhaps you’re stuck with knowing how to achieve that. A big part is the revision process.
The following steps for revision are based on the Writer’s Digest article.
Write Hot. Revise cool.
Wait two weeks after writing to begin the revision process. Then, read fast as if you were a first-time reader. Take notes about what needs fixing.
Capture original emotions you felt when writing.
Listen to music that evokes the mood of your story.
“Music reaches a part of your mind that you usually have inactive when analyzing. Wake it up and put it to work with tunes.”
Create a collage to capture a visual representation of your work to keep you inspired and focused.
Scenes
Analyze every scene.
Make sure every scene is strong with:
~ A single point of view
~ A clear objective for the character
~ Tension
~ Conflict
~ An emotional struggle
~ A compelling reason for the reader to keep reading
Revision Process
A crucial part of the revision process involves making sure all your details are as strong as they possibly can be, that no word is underutilized or wasted.
Sensory Detail
As you revise, determine where you can add sensory detail: visual, sound, taste, smell, touch, and extrasensory perception.
Specific Details
Give your characters distinguishing characteristics.
Gestures, repetitive actions, hobbies, food likes, facial expressions, musical preferences, jobs.
Posts about sensory detail on The Write Spot Blog
The neurological impact of sensory detail.
If you, or your fictional character, could learn a foreign language, what would it be and why?
Or: Write about your experience with learning another language.
What is the one thing that makes you smile every time you think about it or him/her/them?
Every time you remember this, you smile.
Every time.
An honest evaluation by Guest Blogger Nina Amir:
I had to get really honest with myself. And then I had to get honest with others . . .
I have been unhappy. I have not been successful. I have given away my power. I have not followed my own path. I have lived up to other people’s expectations.
I have not lived the life I wanted to live or done the work that is my purpose in this lifetime—my life’s work.
And something had to change. I had to change. My life had to change.
I’d been starving my soul.
Now, I am feeding it. I am creating, day by day, a life that feeds my soul.
And every day I’m a bit happier and fulfilled.
I’m starting to recognize myself again.
I’m making little changes that put me back on the path I want to walk.
People have asked me: “Why are you offering a program about personal and spiritual growth? You are an expert on writing, publishing, and blogging.”
Well . . . I’m also a Certified High Performance Coach—which makes me an expert in personal growth.
And I’ve been studying and writing about spirituality and metaphysics for years. And I’m a Law of Attraction (LOA) coach and a minister. I guess that makes me an expert in spiritual growth.
And . . . more than any of the credentials, writing and coaching about personal and spiritual growth makes my heart and soul sing. It’s my passion. It inspires me.
And, if I am going to live a life—create a life—that feeds my soul, I have to focus on my life’s work. I have to write and speak and coach about personal and spiritual growth.
Watch the changes happening . . . to my website, my offerings, me . . .
And ask yourself: Is your life starving your soul or feeding it?
In this crazy world . . . at this crazy time . . . start living a life that feeds your soul. None of us know what will happen to us tomorrow.
You are a creator. You are meant for more. Create a life that feeds your soul.
If you want to know how to do that, go to www.ninaamir.com/ICC.
Nina Amir is known as the Inspiration to Creation Coach because she helps her clients combine their passion and purpose so they Achieve More Inspired Results. It’s Nina’s mission to help people step into the best version of themselves, fulfill their purpose, and achieve their potential as they create fully lived lives.
Nina Amir’s Books
Nina is a hybrid author who has self-published 18 books. Her traditionally published books include How to Blog a Book, The Author Training Manual and Creative Visualization for Writers.