Whether you are sitting at home, at work, or out at a cafe or library, you will find inspiration and things to write about right there, where you are, no matter what. You have to hold on to attitude of wanting to write though, and have pen and paper (or electronic equivalent), so you will be ready when the words start coming.
I find coffee aids in my finding of inspiration, but it isn’t actually necessary, just nice. Having a comfortable place to sit is important, and as mentioned, something to write on and with. Whether you want to write a poem, a short story, an article, or something longer, you have to set your mind free, and just let the words come.
Getting some words written is the most important thing, when you are in the initial early stages of writing. You wake up your creativity, and you play with words! Getting it all neat and finished is the job of your internal editor, but we are a long way away from that stage.
Exercise One
- Pick up a book, and turn to page 28. On that page, locate a noun, a verb, and write them down, then remember the first dog you ever knew in your life. Whether a pet, or some other dog, one on TV perhaps, write the name of that dog down too. We are going to write a flash fiction story in less than 150 words, using the three things you have written down.
- In your story, that dog’s name is your character’s name. A story has a beginning, a middle and an end, but in flash fiction, the elements are stripped right back, and you get into the story Bang! straight away.
- In my story, my character’s name is Lucky, the noun I’m using is forest, and the noun is sing. One, two, three, go:
- Lucky trotted along for a few minutes, looking around, wondering, what would he find in the forest today? Then there was a sound, a high pitched Ahhhwoooo! Lucky couldn’t believe it, another dog, a howling dog, that sounded like it wanted a friend. Ahwooo? he called, and the other dog called Ahhhwwoooooooo! sounding like it was getting closer and closer as it howled.
The dogs sang their howls at each other, to each other and then there they were, together. The howling stopped, and happy little yips of pleasure came from them both.
Lonely dogs no more, both explored each other, sniffing, licking, reaching out paws, then they ran, and ran, and ran, leaping and running, running and leaping, yipping with pleasure.
Lucky was finally not the only, lonely dog in the forest, he was the one of the two dogs in the forest, and they both had a friend now …
the end
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Wow, I had no idea what I was going to end up with there, but I quite like this little story,, a children’s story perhaps, maybe even a picture book! How did you go, did a story come out for you?
Exercise Two
- For this second exercise, I expect a poem will arrive. It may be a fine poem, it may be the best ever written, it may be a load of not much at all, but it will be a poem!
So if you always say, I’m not a poet, but wish you could actually be able to call yourself one, read on! - Remember your childhood years, and write down the things you used to do that were fun. only a couple of things, will be enough, if you can remember lots of aspects of those things.
- Use a new verse for every single ‘thing’ and put down as many emotions and senses in that you can remember, using a new line for each separate thought.
- This is my list of ‘things’ I remembered when I did this exercise myself a few years ago:
I remember riding my bike, with my best friend Wendy. One particular day, we rode from our homes in Klemzig all of the way to the Adelaide Zoo. We got in for free, using the zoo tickets my dad had, and spent ages sitting with the two dingoes that lived at the zoo. These dingoes, and male and a female, were very tame and loved being scratched behind their ears, just like any other dog likes. I was such a fun time, and we both felt almost blessed to have these dingoes feel so secure with us.
Going to the Torrens River as a kid, with my brothers and their friends was always fun too, catching creatures and either keeping them or setting them free again. Yabbies were the main creature we didn’t release back to the wild, they came home with us, for dad to cook and eat. - Almost Dogs, and Yabbies for Dad
Riding my bike with Wendy –
best friend and I, off to the Zoo
with Dad’s medallions, in for free,
to see our zoo-time favourites
the dingoes, a lovely tame pair
blessing Wendy and me, they way
those almost dogs loved ear scratches
just like all dogs did!Down to the Torrens, our river
almost every Christmas time day –
my brothers and I, with their mates.
Me, an almost accepted almost boy,
& all having fun, in the water, and out –
catching things, letting them go,
but always bringing home for Dad
the yabby “Catch of the Day”! - Can you see the way I stripped back lots of the initial words, cutting out what wasn’t needed to make the points I wanted to make about it all. I am happy with this new poem, and I’d love to know how you went with making a poem out of your own words.
- Note also the casual way I bring the two stanzas of this poem together, through the mention of my Dad in them both.
- This is a free verse poem, but with careful line endings, so that the important words gain prominence, by being first and last words in most lines.
- Notice too that I don’t need to put in every single detail from the initial words written, only using what I felt I needed to make each stanza, and the poems as the whole, work.
Carolyn Cordon - Creative 