Monthly Archives: March 2011

“The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.”

— Maya Angelou

Describe a time you failed to do this and tell me about the price you paid.

“The last thing that anyone forgets, even if they have Alzheimer’s, is the music they loved when they were 12 to 14 years old.”

–Meredith Born

In ten minutes, make a list of songs that evoke a particular time and place in your life. Include family songs, popular songs, forbidden songs, traditional songs, camp songs, religious songs, jingles, songs you listened to on record players, transistor radios, 8-tracks, cassette players, CD players, or Ipods.

Include the first music that grabbed you as a young person–the songs you listened to over and over hundreds of times, the songs you fell in love to, the songs that made you cry. Your personal anthems. Make your list as broad and varied as possible.

If you don’t remember the title of the specific song, write the name of the album or the artist. Or write out a line from the song that you remember.

When you’re done, choose one song from your list tell the story of who you were when you sang (or knew or heard) that song.

Feel free to post your list or your story….or both. Think of it as a little mini musical autobiography.

“Lower your standards and keep writing.”

–Willliam Stafford

Write a really bad story, something you know is really bad. Use every cliché or hackneyed phrase you can think of, every boring plot device. Include one-dimensional, predictable characters and lousy dialogue. Cut loose. Have fun writing your really bad story. It will loosen up the perfectionist in you.