basic tools | SnoValley Writes!

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

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

Happy Pi Day all. Be sure to get some Pie today as well. Treat yourself. Apple-pie making in the happening over in these parts.

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So how many days this week did you do your morning pages? What? You haven’t been journaling? You haven’t been getting that mental debris out — the stuff that keeps your creativity blocked?

Have you given yourself an artist date this week? Even just a trip to a favorite retailer for some fun stickers and a new journal? How about to a book signing? A new art exhibit? Hear a new band? If you did, how did it feel? What did you do? What do you plan to do this week?

For those that missed the work session on Sunday, we’ve started the journey of The Artist’s Way (A path to higher creativity). Having done the formal program twice personally, beginning it with a group is fabulous. It has that much more meaning. For those that have had a hard time making time for your creativity — or spending too much time on your shadow art as opposed to the art you’re impassioned about (e.g. writing), this will be a great exercise for you. It will take us many months to do, but I hope that you will see this as a course in discovering and recovering your best creative self yet. A self who is generative and prolific and a creative life that leaves you feeling satisfied.

The major tools in this journey are:

1) Morning pages: three hand-written, stream-of-consciousness pages you write every morning as soon as you wake up (before you do anything else). Write them in a notebook or journal so you can have them all in one place (currently, I have two completed Morning Page journals sitting on my bookshelf). I set my alarm :15 early to do this. My handwriting is not pretty; but, it clears the mind and is like a writing meditation. I can’t recommend this practice enough.

2) A weekly Artist Date: A commitment of time spent on yourself once a week; Time spent solely on you — no companions allowed; A date with your inner-artist, or your inner-child. For me, it was yesterday and getting a multi-flavored slurpee at 7-11 and to sit in the sunshine (albeit brief as it was in Seattle yesterday) and just watch the world go by. Oftentimes I walk down to the river and do yoga or just sit and watch the inner workings of the water, the trees, the birds and critters. I have also been known to pull the blinds and get out the kids coloring books and crayons and just color in superheros or Hello Kitty. It’s freeing and lets your brain recharge for productive creativity.

3) Daily Reading (which can be accomplished on Wednesdays by undertaking your weekly writing prompt from SnoValley Writes!) I do no less than :30 of reading a day. Non-fiction, fiction, it doesn’t matter. I have books everywhere — my car, the bathroom, my bedroom, my purse, my desk, the living room, even the kitchen. There’s no excuse for not reading every day.

Therefore your prompt this week is to try to accomplish these goals. I can’t recommend or encourage you strongly enough to really take these tasks to heart and do them. Reward yourself for each day you accomplish your morning pages; the artist date is a treat in itself. Do not turn out the lights at night until you’ve gotten in your :30 of reading.

Let me know by next Tuesday how you’re doing, too. Yes, I’m giving homework. Report back, please. I promise no tongue-lashings, just honest encouragement and understanding and all-out cheerleading-praise when appropriate.

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Sometimes I carve out my artist date on either end of one of the Writing Cafes we host. The next is Friday’s DayTrippers from 9:30 a.m. to about noon-ish. Our dearest Takako Wright sends out the reminders for that. DayTrippers are tripping all over the valley for the next few weeks until the Black Dog returns to normal hours on Fridays. So, get the Email from Takako to find out where this week’s location is (her email is in the to line above).

Following that will be Mid-day Muse on Monday at Toad’s in North Bend. This is your reminder about that. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ish). Hope to see you there.

Then Tuesday is Writers Cafe at Carriage Insurance House in North Bend. The Incredible Sheri Kennedy will send out the reminders for that. 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.(her email is in the to line above).

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Make your reservations for Word Jazz now. April 10 at 7 p.m. at Boxley’s. It’s going to feature some of our best work yet. Be there or make us all very sad.

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I am still in need of local literary legends for our first Literary Salon. Send me your suggestions now, please.

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And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“You need to claim the events of your life to make yourself yours.” ~Anne-Wilson Schaef

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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

SnoValley Writes!

Helping Writers Reach Literary Peaks

Tag Archives: basic tools

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