A word after a word after a word is power.”
Margaret Atwood
I’ve been contemplating taking a writing course this summer, something to inspire me to get back to a more regular writing practice or maybe look for a weekend writing conference, now that the country is opening up again. The weekly blog post helps, but I have been struggling with writing new work, but mostly I want to check in with other creative writers.
It starts with one word, but often it’s getting that one word down on the page that stalls my progress. So I think about how I start each work week with a to-do list and then found this helpful article on Sparking Creativity with Lists. When I’m writing my to-do lists or goal lists, there is no hesitation; I’m simply writing a list. It doesn’t have to amount to a finished piece of work, but it may open up my mind to other possibilities. I came up with some “idea-lists” of my own.
- Write a list of topics you’d like to write about
- Write a list of classes you’d like to take
- Write a list of items you collect
- Write a list of your favorite foods or memorable meals
- Write a list of your favorite words
- Write a list of your favorite books, authors, poets, or poems
- Write a list of your favorite songs
- Write a list of your favorite places
- Write a list of your writing goals for the next six months
- Write a list of how you will accomplish those writing goals
- Write a list of unique colors
- Write a list of specific scents to incorporate into a piece of writing
Start with one of these “idea-lists” or brainstorm with your own lists. These “inventories of things” may result in a list poem or give you a place to start each day when the blank page is daunting.
Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag