Saturday, November 26, 2011

What's in Your Belly?

They say there’s a book inside all of us…don’t you just love they…and how they seem to know everything about everything?
Honestly…this time…I think they are correct…well…maybe not a whole book…maybe just a blog or two…but…I do believe that there is an almost universal need to express ourselves in writing…it’s just hard to get started sometimes…to make that first keystroke…to put the first idea on paper…
One of the things that I find helpful is to work with a prompt…and develop it in different ways…just to get the creative juices started…you can get your prompt from almost anything…a headline in a newspaper…randomly opening a book and pointing to a sentence…or…I really like to just come up with a phrase…and develop it several ways…
I recently did…the playground was empty…and this was the result…
The playground was empty except for two mangy dogs and an even mangier kid, Alexis. Her name was much more regal than she herself, although, she could be called the queen of misfits. I shook my head and turned from the playground to the direction of my car.
or
The playground was empty. All the kids were home with their bicycles or video games. Now was the perfect opportunity and I was taking it. Quietly, quickly, I strode across the lawn in the direction of the monkey bars. And then there I was The Amazing Swinging Principal oblivious to all around me when two of my fourth grade tough guys came swooping across the playground on their two-wheelers. Busted.
or
The playground was empty. Well, almost empty, there was those six inches of snow that blanketed everything. I felt a little guilty for disrupting the stillness with my footprints but the snow continued to fall. They would be covered soon enough and I didn’t have time to go around.
Okay…here’s the challenge…take the prompt…write your own blip…post it as a comment if you’d like…I’d love to read it…it’s a great way to get started…and I’m here to tell you…a book on the bookshelf…looks way better than a book in your belly…I know…I think I have about 15 of them in mine…and they ain’t pretty…if you know what I mean…
Jane

4 comments:

  1. That playground was empty... thank God. I needed some space... just some peace. I needed to sit and just think - be alone with my thoughts, with who I was, with me. With all this stepping into my truth, I just needed time to let it all settle. I sat on the swing; not having any concept of how long I'd be there... not having anywhere to be, or anything to do. I finally had the time to just be.

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  2. Jenn...thanks for posting. I love the picture you painted...and it fits right in with what I was reading this morning regarding a woman's need for solitude...perfect!

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  3. Jenn...that makes it even better...love it!

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