I've been thinking about the tornado that blew
through my hometown, Hamilton, Ontario on the afternoon of November 9th. I
just happened to be freewriting and doodling while watching the 6 o'clock
news. Words like fear, debris, and power were scattered
across the page. As the camera operator showed the effects of the storm
(uprooted trees, blocks of scattered debris, and vehicles pushed across
parking lots) inspiration struck! Why don't I create my own mental tornado to
uproot fear and loose stuck ideas?
Imagine creating a 'brain storm' - a
mental tornado traveling through the literary landscape of the mind's eye.
Let it start from the left hemisphere of the brain (the logical, the fearful,
the critical part). Watch it twist and spin all deep-rooted fear right off
the literary map. Imagine it crossing the right hemisphere and stirring up
the creative side of you. Then, go pick up the pieces and try to make some
sense of it all. Dream it, draw it, write it. Use these prompts separately,
or mix and match them to produce stories and poems.
Remember: fear is an obstacle that hinders
creativity. There's no need to fear the effects of this storm!
Titles
Screams from the Attic
Phone-call at Midnight
The Backstairs of History
Starters
As soon as she closed her eyes...
The scrape of his pen...
Our family had a secret...
Quotes
"Any fool can count the seeds in an
apple. Only God can count the apples in one seed." [Robert Schuller]
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in
having new eyes." [Marcel Proust]
"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water." [Unknown]
Fragments
Deep furrows designed by nightmares
Lovers knotted in a scarf of legs and arms
Backdrop of stars
What If...
...You could live for one year inside
another living being's body by transferring your mind, soul, and spirit. Who
or what would you choose?
...You could crawl and explore the inside of a word. What would it look like?
...God had a dream that He was dreaming?
Miscellaneous
To realize the value of ONE YEAR, write
about a student who failed.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, write about an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, write about lovers who are waiting to meet.
If you want further exercises like these, I highly
recommend visiting these websites to generate story ideas:
www.seventhsanctum.com
www.fictionfix.com
Until next time, keep working out and do your
pencil push-ups,
Monique~Berry
