Monthly Archives: January 2013

“There’s this moment in creation, when you’ve made something truly special, where you become euphoric. And then, utterly lonely.”

–John Mayer

Tell me about your loneliness. In fact, tell me about all the different kinds of loneliness you have known. Begin each paragraph with the words, “There is the kind of loneliness that… Make each paragraph a specific instance of feeling lonely, as in, “There is the kind of loneliness you feel in bed with your partner when you’ve just failed at making love again and neither of you is talking about it,” “Or, “There is the kind of loneliness when you walk into your sons’ bedroom and realize it’s been a month since you’ve heard from him…” You get the idea?

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which (s)he has overcome.”

- Booker T. Washington

Make a list of the obstacles you have overcome in life. Choose one to write about in detail. Tell us about the obstacle and what you had to do to overcome it. Tell us the whole story, not just the headlines. Show us through your words, what an incredible challenge this was for you.

“I give assignments to my writing classes because it’s hard to make something up out of a clear blue sky…It doesn’t have to be anything. It can contain a character who shows up out of breath. It can contain a lake and a bunch of swans. There can be conversation or silence. It can take place entirely in the dark. I have learned we do better when we’re not trying too hard–there is nothing more deadening to creativity than the grim determination to write.”

–Abigail Thomas

Do a five-minute sprint on each of the following words. Start with the very first thing that occurs to you and then write without stopping for five minutes. Then go on to the next word. Don’t skip any. This will increase your nimbleness as a writer:

Betrayal

Wrinkles

Imperfections

Hair

Teeth

Joy

Peanut butter

Hunger

Initiation

First car