Tag Archives: Artist Date

Weekly Writing Prompt — January 30, 2013 Edition

January 30, 2013Weekly Writing PromptArtist Date, creative recovery, morning pages, SnoValley Writes!, Synchronicity, the artist way, weekly writing promptadmin

Greetings Writers!

Most times you get this directly to your Email. This week, I sent you simply a link to our web site, to get the information there. Please feel free to comment there, as well, on the information contained therein.

When was the last time you positively affirmed either “I am a writer,” or “I am an artist?”

Don’t know?

Well say it with me now. Out loud. Doesn’t matter where you are.

“I am a writer.”

“I am an artist.”

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So it’s Artist Way Check-In Time.

Look folks, it’s been more than a year that we’ve been working on The Artist’s Way. I’m really hoping that you’re beginning to do some of these “habits” to nurture your “inner artist child” and find your path to creative recovery. It’s a long and arduous journey. The abuse to our inner child was long in the making. We’re not going to fully heal over night. So, don’t just think you can give up on these habits. They are life long.

If you’ve truly been doing these habits and have no sense of recovery, I’d really like to know. For those who have been doing these weekly habits, the exercises, the tasks, tell me how you’re doing. Answer the questions below in the comment section:

1. How many days this week (since last Wednesday) did you do your morning pages? Regarding your U-turns, have you allowed yourself a shift toward compassion, at least on the page?

2. Did you do your artist date this week? Have you kept the emphasis on fun? What did you do? How did it feel?

3. Did you experience any synchronicity this week? What was it?

4. Were there any other issues this week that you consider significant for your recovery? Describe them.

Again, please answer in the comment section below.

And now your Moment of Writing Zen:

“When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines the kind of men we are.” ~Cesar Chavez

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
Sno Valley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — October 10, 2012 Edition

October 10, 2012Weekly Writing PromptArtist Date, get r done, inspirational reading, morning pages, NaNoWriMo, national novel writing month, rsvp, workshop, writingadmin

Writers:

Brr! I don’t want to turn on the fireplace yet; but, it’s cold today. But at least its going to be dry for a few more days. Then the rains move in.

Speaking of rains, when the weather turns this way, it’s so much easier to get into the swing of the writing thing. It’s going to rain, you may as well write. And November is the perfect month for it, because it’s National Novel Writing Month! Once again, SnoValley Writes! will be leading the charge and getting everyone excited and involved and making the month not only productive, but fun!

Kick Off: Will be on the evening of November 1. It will inspire those that feel stuck and allow those who have already charged ahead to come out. There will be prizes, giveaways, No Plot, No Problem discussion, and connecting with your other WriMos. I will have details hopefully after today. But it will be the evening of Nov. 1 — so be sure to stay tuned.

To also put on your NaNoWriMo calendar is the evening of Nov. 17th — our regions Night of Writing Dangerously. This event will also provide a mini writing retreat. So stay tuned for details for that as well. I’ll be posting this information via the NaNoWriMo.org site, so be sure you get signed up and registered and home yourself with the Snoqualmie Valley region. I’ll be at the Black Dog on Friday for those who need help with the technical aspects of signing up. Or at our Workshop Session on Sunday.

This Sunday is our regular Workshop Session. Please RSVP if you plan on attending. We will start the session with exchanging some work for feedback. Bring a short story, one chapter of a novel, up to five pages of poems, or up to 10 pages of a screenplay for review by other members. Then we’ll dive into our exercises and other creative pursuits. Bring pen/notebook or your lappie. We’ll be working. That’s why it’s called a Workshop. 😀

There is a board meeting for SnoValley Writes! tonight at the Sawdust Cafe at 5:30 p.m. for anyone who is wanting to be involved further in the group.

Okay, enough with the housekeeping and announcements. Here’s your prompt….which you may proceed to if you’ve done your morning pages and had your artist’s date in the last week. Oh, you haven’t? Nor have you done any inspirational reading? tsk-tsk. Go do those. When you’ve finished those, you may proceed to the other tasks.

Which I’ll give the group on Sunday. North Bend Library. 3 p.m. Be there.

And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.” ~Anne Lamont

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — May 23, 2012 Edition

May 23, 2012Weekly Writing PromptArtist Date, environment, morning pages, The Artist's Way, time travel, work session, writer's cafecasz

Greetings! Hope the rain and cloud cover has you inspired and not mired in “where is the sun?” complaints.

Once again, we continue with our work through The Artist’s Way together. We are still working through the tasks and exercises in Chapter 4 — for those keeping track via their own copy of the book.

But, first, it’s check-in time!

1. Morning Pages?

2. Artist’s Date?

3. No reading this past week? What did you do instead?

4. Doing the tasks and exercises?

Today’s Tasks include the environment and time travel.

1. Environment: Describe your ideal environment. Town? Country? Sank? Cozy? One paragraph. One image, drawn or clipped, that conveys this. (For those with Tumblr Accounts, feel free to do this there). What’s your favorite season? Why? Go through some magazines and find an image of this. Or draw it. Place it near your working area.

2. Time Travel: Describe yourself at eighty. What did you do after fifty that you enjoyed? Be very specific. Now, write a letter from you at eighty to you at your current age. What would you tell yourself? What interests would you urge yourself to pursue? What dreams w2ould you encourage?

3. Time Travel: Remember yourself at eight. What did you like to do? What were your favorite things? Now, write a letter from you at eight to you at your current age. What would you tell yourself?

4. Environment: Look at your house. Is there any room that you could make into a secret, private space for yourself? Convert the TV room? Buy a screen or hand a sheet and cordon off a section of some other room? This is your dream area. It should be decorated for fun and not as an office. All you really need is a chair or pillow, something to write on, some kind of little alter area for flowers and candles. This is to help you center on the fact that creativity is a spiritual, not an ego, issue.

Reminders:

DayTrippers on Friday at the Black Dog at 9:30 a.m. until about Noon-ish.

Monday Midday Muse at Pioneer Cafe at 11 a.m. until about 1 p.m. ish

Writer’s Cafe @ Carriage Insurance at 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Next Writer’s WorkShop Session: June 10th.

Steve Matlock kindly shared this link and information. Might be of interest to some of you:

Direct submissions to Arthur Levine (@Scholastic)

http://www.arthuralevinebooks.com/submission.asp

And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“The primary imagination I hold to be the Living Power.” ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Weekly Writing Prompt — May 10, 2012 Edition

May 10, 2012Weekly Writing PromptArtist Date, artistic recover, Julia Cameron, morning pages, people you admire, self traits, The Artist's Way, working as a group, writing lifecasz

Sorry we missed yesterday. You missed this, right?

Yesterday was one of those days you’re not really sure where you are, what you’re doing, or why you’re doing it. And I kept thinking it was Tuesday.

/blush.

So here’s the check in:

1. Morning pages? Doing them? Yes? No? If so, how often?

2. Artist date? What did you do? What did you discover?

3. Synchronicity? Did you have it? What happened?

4. Spiritual Reading? Doing it? What did you discover?

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Exercises as we push through chapter 3 in the Artist’s Date. If you’re actually doing these you will see progress.

A. List five people you admire. Now, list five people you secretly admire. What traits do these people have tht you can cultivate further in yourself?

B. List five people you wish you had met who are dead. Now, list five people who are dead whom you’d like to hang out with for a while in eternity. What traits do you find in these people that you can look for in your friends?

C. Compare the two sets of lists. Take a look at what you really like and really admire — and a look at what you think you should like and admire. Your shoulds might tell you to admire Edison while your heart belongs to Houdini. Go with the Houdini side of you for awhile.

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“Eliminate something superfluous from your life. Break a habit. Do something that makes you feel insecure.” ~ Piero Ferrucci

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — March 28, 2012 Edition

March 28, 2012Weekly Writing PromptAffirmative Reading, Artist Date, Basic Principles, basic tools, morning pages, The Artist's Way, Word Jazzcasz

Writers:

Have your reservations for Boxley’s for SnoValley Writes! Word Jazz on April 10th at 7 p.m.? No? Well you can do it online here: http://www.boxleysplace.com/web/reservations.espx?reservations=on&cid=44b996ab751e19c2ed2babc48169b615

Do it now, this event fills up fast.

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As discussed in our last bimonthly writing work session…wait, you say you missed our work session? Well, be sure not to miss the next one on April 22 (we’re suspended for the Easter Holiday Sunday). On the 22nd we’ll be discussing all the exercises contained in the weekly writing prompts, so be sure to stay tuned.

SnoValley Writes! is in the midst of The Artist’s Way journey. We’ve been employing the tools of morning pages and artist’s dates and affirmative reading. Affirmative reading includes these basic principles, which I’ve attached in an effort to get you to print it and post it near your writing space or within your morning pages journal. (Please note the use of God, The Great Creator, Universe, etc. is used interchangeably to cover all spiritual preferences; because at the heart of creativity is an experience of the mystical. Ms. Cameron refers to “God” as ‘Good Orderly Direction,’ so you can look at it as an acronym if you so choose. The core of it is the same. Creativity is a spiritual thing at its foundation.)

So are you doing morning pages*? I’m 6/7 last week. This week may be a little lower because I was ill Monday afternoon through yesterday. But, I’ve got a better batting record than most Major League Baseball stars in that regard, so I’m happy. Today is a new day, you can get those pages, done, too.

What was your artist’s date** last week? Reply and tell me what you did!

And now you can do your weekly affirmative reading (see attached).

Today’s writing prompt is two fold. First: pick one of the Basic Principles and write from that. It can be essay, poem, short-story, whatever. Just pick one that means something and write. Write until your hands cramps or every thing you have to say on it is on the page/screen.

Second: look at the second attachment (contract) and print it, fill it out, sign and date it and keep it in your morning pages journal or near your desk/writing space. I have modified it slightly for our purposes because we will be doing this journey for more than 12 weeks, given our bimonthly (less holidays) work session schedule.

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Writing Dates This Week

Friday, March 30, DayTrippers Write-In Fall City Roadhouse 9:30 a.m. until Noon-ish (come when you can, leave when you must)

Monday, April 2, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Midday Muse, Toad’s (North Bend), Write-In (come when you can, leave when you must)

Tuesday, April 3, Word Jazz Dress Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m. Carriage Insurance House

Thursday, April 5, Open Mic Night, The Black Dog, 6:30 p.m. — An opportunity to read your stuff for an appreciative, receptive audience.

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“Man is asked to make of himself what he is supposed to become to fulfill his destiny.” ~Paul Tillich

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*Morning Pages are three pages of longhand writing, strictly stream-of-consciousness. I call them “mental debris collector.” They are not meant to be art. It’s simply menat to be the act of moving the hand across the page and writing down whatever comes to mind. Nothing is too petty, too silly, too stupid, or too weird to be included. The act of morning pages frees your mind for better creativity.

**Artist Date is a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artists. In its most primary form, the artist date is an excursion, a play date that you pre-plan and defend against all interlopers. You do not take anyone on this artist date but you and your inner artist, aka your creative child.

***If you’re reading this online and want the attachments, you just need to email us at: snovalleywrites (at) gamil (dot) com. We will send them your way.

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Weekly Writing Prompt — March 21, 2012 Edition

March 21, 2012Weekly Writing PromptArtist Date, Julia Cameron, morning pages, Recovering the Creative Self, The Artist's Way, Top 20 lists, Working Togethercasz

Lots of ones and twos in that date. It probably means something, but I’m about two cups of coffee unprepared to relay it to you all.

Because it’s so early, I must resort to numbering what I need to express to you all:

1. Get your reservations for Boxley’s now for April 10 at 7 p.m. (or a bit before or after if you’re so inclined) for the 3rd Word Jazz by SnoValley Writes! This is some of the best storytelling we have done so far and I don’t want you to miss it!

2. Still looking for suggestions for our first guest for our literary salon. Please send any local authors, editors, agents, publishers, etc. that you would like to see featured at such an event. Thank you.

3. As you know we’re working together as a group through The Artist’s Way, so I’m going to ask you each week if you’re doing your morning pages, if you’ve done your artist date, if there were any other issues this week that you consider significant to your artistic recovery? So? Are you 7/7 for morning pages? 5/7? Where was your artist date? What did it teach you or bring you?

4. This week’s prompt: Number the screen or paper 1 to 20. Then, list 20 things you enjoy doing (rock climbing, roller-skating, baking pies, making soup, making love, making love again, oh quit blushing, riding a bike, riding a horse, playing catch, shooting baskets, going for a run, reading poetry, and so forth). When was the last time you let yourself do these things? Next to each entry, place a date. Don’t be surprised if it’s been years for some of your favorites. That will change. This list is an excellent source for artist dates. Still not clear on what artists dates are? Let me explain: Artist Date: An artist date is a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist. In its most primary form, the artist date is an excursion, a play date that you preplan and DEFEND against all interlopers. You do not take anyone on this artist date but you and your inner artist, aka, your creative child. That means no lovers, friends, spouse, children — no taggers-on of any stripe.

5. Regular Writing Works Session/Workshop this Sunday (March 25) at 3 p.m. at the North Bend Library. Please RSVP and let me know if you plan to attend.

6. Your moment of Writing Zen: “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” ~C.G. Jung

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron