Scrolling through a friend's Facebook, I saw she had uploaded a simple pen and paper "Map of Influences." I was intrigued, so I put it on my list of things I would like to try. Mine, when said and done is not as intellectually inclined. For me the streets of cities I have lived in, clouds, and anxiety are as much of an influence (perhaps even more so...) than Don Delillo, Joan Didion, Pina Bausch, Miss Piggy and Gordon Matta Clark. So to start, where does one start? For me, a curlique. In inward/outward spiral is what the pen and I decided on as the beginning. Then some … [Read more...]
Travelers and Tourists: Breaking Through the Bubble
"Are you a traveler or are you a tourist?" I recently finished two travel books back to back: Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term Travel by Rolf Potts and Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1,700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson. Vagabonding is more of a basic guide to paring down your lifestyle, your "things" so that you can lead a simple life of adventure on the road around the world. Davidson's book is set in Australia of the 70's and written in the 80's with an afterward written in 2012. Potts states, "...the tourist/traveler distinction has largely … [Read more...]
Family is Where Our History Lives
I spent this last Thanksgiving with my fiance’s family in a new location. I am slowly beginning to understand what it means to enter a family as an adult. Family is where our history lives. They are the people who can say, “that is the face mom used to make” and tell stories about their grandparents even though they may have grandchildren of their own. I really began to consider of all of the miracles and brushes of fate that bring us to the common table. The next time you gather, listen for the others that are present at the table in the stories we tell. Some fought in a war, some built … [Read more...]
Free Video Creative Writing Prompts
Click here for all of these creative writing prompts! How to Write: How Did You Two Meet? Writing Prompt How To Write: Three Red Flags Writing Prompt How to Write: What Does My Body Want Prompt How To Write: Snapshot Writing Prompt How to Writing Prompt: Shoes, Meals, Coats and Handbags Personal Maps Writing Prompt NEW Prisms Creative Writing Prompt Writing Prompt: What Does My Grief Look Like? Song Lyrics Writing Prompt … [Read more...]
MEMORIALIZE (verb) to do or create something that causes people to remember
me·mo·ri·al·ize verb -ˌlīz : to do or create something that causes people to remember (a person, thing, or event) I am not sure what Memorial Day means to you, but to me it seems almost like the patron holiday of memoirists. This last year has held a lot of change for me, and I think that being someone from a multitude of cultures (Catholic, Buddhist, American, Artistic) I wonder what sort of thing to pour my memories into. I lost a friend this year who was a fellow writer, and while I traveled to her hometown to memorialize her, there has not been a formal "ceremony" and she did … [Read more...]
Halloween Costumes Writing Prompt
It is almost Halloween, a time when we are allowed to fantasize. What is our “dark self,” the shadowed part of our psyche? Is it sexier than we think is appropriate? Do we have a killer instinct? Are we part animal, furry like a wolf or extra innocent like Little Red Riding Hood? At this time of the year I often think about taboos. Society teaches us in school what is considered good and bad, but I wonder about self-imposed taboos—the “never” “always” “should” things we have in our lives. Halloween is upside down day, a day to play with your persona, a holiday where we get to give ourselves … [Read more...]