Writing is fun! Or better yet, you can make it fun to write if you do what I tell you to do. Now how's that for a long title? (Don't do that)
I wanted to write a blog about writing because I have had all these writing prompt ideas and I would love to just, you know, put them out there. Speaking of putting stuff out there, I am working on my positive energy. Stay tuned.
I was up late last night having a hellacious familial experience. I have a full house since this summer, and the folks that are staying in the house were getting into it, I just laid in bed saying to myself, "I'm so angry, I'm so angry." I got into a rhythm. I was saying it over and over.
I became anxious to downplay the negativity because, like I mentioned, I am working on my positivity and I thought maybe it would be better if I made myself stop repeating this phraseology; I'm angry, I hate all of you, your sudden death would be terrible, but at least I would get some sleep. These are terrible things, right!? But of course, and maybe you don't know this trick, but it has worked wonders for me in the past, saying something about how you are feeling, being honest about it to yourself, really makes a huge difference. It is like how they say swearing helps you to endure pain. Saying *uck off in your head keeps a smile on your face.
So I was saying this to myself and making, you know, excuses for why I was allowed to be negative in order to remain positive. It's a paradox, and I am no genius, so I just went with it instead of trying to, you know, figure it out. And I started to hear this wonderful music. This is a result of my being friends with a classical music page on Facebook. I was writing music for my anger. But I couldn't write music if my life depended on it. So instead ...
I went to college, and I studied writing. The writing building, which was next door to the music building, was clearly not the same building. You could tell because they said things on them like "English" and "Music." And the students that frequented these places were not the same students. We even didn't look like each other. The music kids were more classically nerdy, while us hipster writers were pushing trendy. And not in a good way, but not as bad as the art students. Anyway, we shared a block, all of us arts kids. And we talked sometimes.
And you know what I found out, music is difficult. It takes more than talent, it takes dedication, and probably a whole lot of smarts. The talent is in the ear, and in the dexterity, and the smarts are in the memory, and the reading, and the following. And if you are really into music, you can write it. This is notes, not letters. They use special paper. They have special symbols, and they have to lay piece over piece to make harmonies, and there is percussion, and the percussion has different instruments, and then there's piano, and there are horns by many different names. It's a colossal mess to me.
My music piece was to the tune of "I'm so angry," which has four syllables, and on the last two there were cymbals over the bass drum. And the sound of the "I'm so" was with a deep horn sound. And then I decided that I needed the sounds I was feeling, piccolos and maybe a whistle were going to come in to make the sounds of the anxiety I was feeling. I had no idea what the tune was, but I noticed while I was laying there that I was not feeling angry anymore and suddenly, I was writing music! But I wasn't writing it in the traditional sense. I was explaining music sounds and instrument choices.
I wanted a piano piece after the opening to come on and play something that sounded like velvet, but velvet that was luxe, but I shied from luxurious, because modern luxury is everywhere. Everyone is affluent, except me of course. So I had been forced to explain the luxeness. Romantic, not classically, but from a classic, in that it is right. Like the 18th century paintings that were so famous of landscapes, with a few brush strokes of some stand out color and a whole lot of green and blue and gray.
I really loved the idea of writing a musical piece like this. I thought to myself, this is one of the great writing prompts. For years I had wanted to be a creative writing teacher. I was going to have the ideas and the critical nature to turn even the most idiotic and tragically ambitious youngsters into true geniuses. It was my goal to create masterpieces out of the young. And I have come up with some great ideas. If you enjoy writing, as much as you enjoy reading, which I doubt on both accounts, then here is a small and less detailed list of ideas that might help you to be encouraged and inspired.
I came up with this first idea while I was working as a hostess at the Cheesecake Factory. This restaurant is fairly picturesque and it is accommodating for mind wanderings on the job. It may come across as being a little strange and I haven't had time to really think about all the ways that it is beneficial, but it is really just a writing prompt for when you are having a bit of writers block, which I don't suffer from, unfortunately. Alright. Here you go: You simply spell out what it is you want to say. Yes, this crazy and OCD sounding idea is meant to shorten your wordy sentences and help you to focus on the message you are trying to convey. Try it, it works. You will be more selective with what you want to write.
Second, and this is an idea I had this week for a blog, which may be something I write about soon, you create a 101 out of whatever it is you want to blog about. I figured you could actually look at a syllabus. I wonder if you could copy and paste one into a word file from online? My 101 was going to be Healthy Living 101, and I was going to narrow down all the most important ideas I knew were basics but essentials, and then break them down into lessons that would be the most meaningful for your first experience with healthy living. Like anyone needs that in 2019!
The third writing prompt is for writers who are more advanced, and don't need help getting started, but really want to write something as a means of artistic expression, kind of like what I had started out with when I was "writing music." I was browsing through my Pinterest feed and they had set up some reading goals for folks for the fall; read one book you've already read, read a book that came out this year, read a book that a friend suggested, read something by an author you've never heard of, etc. Just exchange read with write, i. e. write a story that's already been written, rewrite the best seller of the year in three pages. I thought that doing this as a writing prompt would be a two-fold triumph for fall goals. A little required reading there, too.
Writing prompts are great, I think that, if I don't write next time about being positive, or about healthy living, I will start a blog that never ends, that is filled with sketches and creative attempts, even failures, so that if perhaps someday this blog does pick up, others who love writing can come see beyond my supposed portfolio.
I was up late last night having a hellacious familial experience. I have a full house since this summer, and the folks that are staying in the house were getting into it, I just laid in bed saying to myself, "I'm so angry, I'm so angry." I got into a rhythm. I was saying it over and over.
I became anxious to downplay the negativity because, like I mentioned, I am working on my positivity and I thought maybe it would be better if I made myself stop repeating this phraseology; I'm angry, I hate all of you, your sudden death would be terrible, but at least I would get some sleep. These are terrible things, right!? But of course, and maybe you don't know this trick, but it has worked wonders for me in the past, saying something about how you are feeling, being honest about it to yourself, really makes a huge difference. It is like how they say swearing helps you to endure pain. Saying *uck off in your head keeps a smile on your face.
So I was saying this to myself and making, you know, excuses for why I was allowed to be negative in order to remain positive. It's a paradox, and I am no genius, so I just went with it instead of trying to, you know, figure it out. And I started to hear this wonderful music. This is a result of my being friends with a classical music page on Facebook. I was writing music for my anger. But I couldn't write music if my life depended on it. So instead ...
I went to college, and I studied writing. The writing building, which was next door to the music building, was clearly not the same building. You could tell because they said things on them like "English" and "Music." And the students that frequented these places were not the same students. We even didn't look like each other. The music kids were more classically nerdy, while us hipster writers were pushing trendy. And not in a good way, but not as bad as the art students. Anyway, we shared a block, all of us arts kids. And we talked sometimes.
And you know what I found out, music is difficult. It takes more than talent, it takes dedication, and probably a whole lot of smarts. The talent is in the ear, and in the dexterity, and the smarts are in the memory, and the reading, and the following. And if you are really into music, you can write it. This is notes, not letters. They use special paper. They have special symbols, and they have to lay piece over piece to make harmonies, and there is percussion, and the percussion has different instruments, and then there's piano, and there are horns by many different names. It's a colossal mess to me.
My music piece was to the tune of "I'm so angry," which has four syllables, and on the last two there were cymbals over the bass drum. And the sound of the "I'm so" was with a deep horn sound. And then I decided that I needed the sounds I was feeling, piccolos and maybe a whistle were going to come in to make the sounds of the anxiety I was feeling. I had no idea what the tune was, but I noticed while I was laying there that I was not feeling angry anymore and suddenly, I was writing music! But I wasn't writing it in the traditional sense. I was explaining music sounds and instrument choices.
I wanted a piano piece after the opening to come on and play something that sounded like velvet, but velvet that was luxe, but I shied from luxurious, because modern luxury is everywhere. Everyone is affluent, except me of course. So I had been forced to explain the luxeness. Romantic, not classically, but from a classic, in that it is right. Like the 18th century paintings that were so famous of landscapes, with a few brush strokes of some stand out color and a whole lot of green and blue and gray.
I really loved the idea of writing a musical piece like this. I thought to myself, this is one of the great writing prompts. For years I had wanted to be a creative writing teacher. I was going to have the ideas and the critical nature to turn even the most idiotic and tragically ambitious youngsters into true geniuses. It was my goal to create masterpieces out of the young. And I have come up with some great ideas. If you enjoy writing, as much as you enjoy reading, which I doubt on both accounts, then here is a small and less detailed list of ideas that might help you to be encouraged and inspired.
I came up with this first idea while I was working as a hostess at the Cheesecake Factory. This restaurant is fairly picturesque and it is accommodating for mind wanderings on the job. It may come across as being a little strange and I haven't had time to really think about all the ways that it is beneficial, but it is really just a writing prompt for when you are having a bit of writers block, which I don't suffer from, unfortunately. Alright. Here you go: You simply spell out what it is you want to say. Yes, this crazy and OCD sounding idea is meant to shorten your wordy sentences and help you to focus on the message you are trying to convey. Try it, it works. You will be more selective with what you want to write.
Second, and this is an idea I had this week for a blog, which may be something I write about soon, you create a 101 out of whatever it is you want to blog about. I figured you could actually look at a syllabus. I wonder if you could copy and paste one into a word file from online? My 101 was going to be Healthy Living 101, and I was going to narrow down all the most important ideas I knew were basics but essentials, and then break them down into lessons that would be the most meaningful for your first experience with healthy living. Like anyone needs that in 2019!
The third writing prompt is for writers who are more advanced, and don't need help getting started, but really want to write something as a means of artistic expression, kind of like what I had started out with when I was "writing music." I was browsing through my Pinterest feed and they had set up some reading goals for folks for the fall; read one book you've already read, read a book that came out this year, read a book that a friend suggested, read something by an author you've never heard of, etc. Just exchange read with write, i. e. write a story that's already been written, rewrite the best seller of the year in three pages. I thought that doing this as a writing prompt would be a two-fold triumph for fall goals. A little required reading there, too.
Writing prompts are great, I think that, if I don't write next time about being positive, or about healthy living, I will start a blog that never ends, that is filled with sketches and creative attempts, even failures, so that if perhaps someday this blog does pick up, others who love writing can come see beyond my supposed portfolio.
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