DailyWritingPrompts.com

Martha Graham, a famous dancer and choreographer in the early 20th century, wrote in a letter to one of her students:

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”

Graham’s words ring true. There is only one of you in the world:

The way you think, the way you see things, the way you respond, the way you nurture yourself and other people, the way you go about doing mundane things. The way you love, the way you express, the way you tell a story, the way you write.

The world will know of and witness only one you. The totality of you — talents, nuances, thought processes, expressions — will never be repeated. Hide the real you from the world and the world is deprived of your uniqueness.

But graver than hiding is constantly measuring yourself against others, and finding and deciding you are not good enough. Too much self-criticism is the downfall of many. It derails many a pursuit, dream, passion. Look honestly within and find if you have been doing this to yourself. And if you have — it doesn’t matter up to what extent — take out a measuring cup and get a scoop or two of self-kindness. And then apply Graham’s words to your life:

“It is not my business to determine how good I am, not how I compare with others. It is my business to do what I believe is true to who I am, and pursue the passions that fulfill my sense of self.”

Make it your business to own you with no reservations or conditions. Then bask in the knowledge that there will never be another with a soul that is exactly as unique as yours.

Writing activity: Write about how you nurture others — your child, a parent, your spouse, a friend. Write about how you do it — the ways that are uniquely yours. Write under the comfy blanket of self-acceptance.

Copyright © Shery Russ

[Excerpted from my e-mail course, Creativity Alley: 21 Ways to Jumpstart Your Muse.]

A problem or premise can be viewed from two distinctive points of view — the observer viewpoint and the merged viewpoint. Today’s creativity method focuses on the second viewpoint.

The merged viewpoint occurs when you become the object of the observation. You become the subject of your observation, and you observe from the point of view of your subject. This is referred to as projective identification.

Projective identification can be purely fantasy:

• What’s it like to be a potato about to become French fries?
• How does it feel like to be a gum stuck in a shoe?
• Imagine what it’s like to be an ink cartridge.

Or it can be empathetic:

• Seeing the situation through a laborer’s eyes
• Getting inside the skin of an AIDS victim
• Being in the shoes of a chronically depressed person

For your creative activity today, write 2 short texts (100-200 words) using projective identification for the following:

• Fantasy: What’s it like to be a picture frame?
• Empathetic: Being in the shoes of a petty thief.

Here’s a list to try this creative method on. Write in the voice or perspective of the following:

• a banana about to go bad
• a woman unable to conceive
• a spare tire
• a harassed telephone operator
• a Band-Aid
• an owner whose business is about to go bankrupt
• a blank diskette
• a guy about to break up with his girlfriend
• a computer keyboard
• a woman about to give an answer to a marriage proposal

Copyright © Shery Russ

electricity is a recent discovery. list 10 things to do when there’s no power.

Do you know why when some writers write, the words come easily? Why it doesn’t seem to require any effort at all for the words to take shape on the page? Why their prose is almost fluid? Why, when other writers may take seven, eight or nine drafts, it only takes them two or three drafts to the final draft?

The answer is simple: These writers keep showing up and writing. They have made it a habit to show up on the page regularly — whether it be every day or every other day or some other schedule.

Showing up and then writing means most of the time, you end up writing mostly flab — excess fat. You do not tone muscles and get a shapely and perfect body right after an hour of aerobics, tae-bo, or Pilates. It requires months and months of religiously following a regimen — a balanced diet and continuous work outs.

Writing is no exception. It follows the same principle: you follow a writing regimen. You face the page no matter what. And you keep on writing down the flab, the awful stuff, the icky drafts. Eventually, they will give way to the good stuff — your prose becomes more textured, your voice clearer and more true.

Write as much and as often as you can, and never allow bad writing to stop you from writing.

Copyright © 2003-2011 Shery Russ

Five minutes. That’s all you need to begin writing. You don’t have to set aside a morning, a day, or even a weekend to write. If you do, it will only put pressure on you; writing then becomes a chore, an appointment in your already busy schedule. And like your other appointments, you’ll be tempted to move your writing schedule some other time.

So rather than put yourself in a position where you “have” to write because “it’s in my schedule,” start by finding 5 minutes in your day and then use those minutes to write.

How long does it take for your e-mails to finish downloading? There’s your 5-minute writing time.

Your casserole takes how many minutes to simmer? There’s your 5-minute writing time.

How long do you have to wait for the bus (or train) at the terminal? There’s your 5-minute writing time.

Stuck in a long check-out line at the supermarket? There’s your 5-minute writing time.

How long before it’s your turn to do your morning ritual in the bathroom/toilet? There’s your 5-minute writing time.

I’m certain you can think of other situations in your life wherein you can snatch those 5 minutes.

In 5 minutes, write how you’re feeling at that moment; describe where you are; do a one-paragraph character sketch
of the tired-looking cashier; make a list of things you want to do or don’t want to do at the present.

Snatch those 5 minutes of writing time every day. That’s not a lot to ask for when there are 1,440 minutes in a day.

Start as a 5-minute writer. Give yourself time to be comfortable and used to this new habit. Allow those 5 minutes of writing time to blend in with your every day life. Soon you’ll be writing beyond your 5-minute writing time, and you won’t even notice your 5 minutes are up!

Copyright © 2003-2011 Shery A. Russ