by Nancy Casey
It can be hard to wrap one’s mind around the fact that everything, every single thing we see and don’t see, is changing. Always. Today you will have a chance to slow your powers of observation down and think about that.
You will be writing sentences patterned more or less like this:
Slowly, slowly ______ turns into ______.
Think about that as you set up your page. Draw a line across the top where your title will go when you have finished writing. You can also draw a box or blob that you’ll use for illustration. Or make a decorative border around the page. A lot of people find that working on drawing and writing at the same time helps their mind relax so ideas can flow.
Slowly and carefully write the words, “Slowly, slowly . . ” and then write down the first thing that comes to your mind that doesn’t seem to change at all. Next, write something about how it does changes. You can say what it slowly turns into. Or you might decide to describe how it makes the world or your life different.
Add another sentence or two that tells a bit more about this change. You could tell how it happens, why it matters, who it affects—whatever further ideas come to mind.
To continue, pick out a word or idea from what you just wrote and plug it into the pattern sentence that begins “Slowly, slowly . . .” Write a few sentences about how change comes about for this new thing.
Work your way down the page like that, describing things that don’t seem to change much, telling a bit about how they do change.
Maybe a story will come through in your writing. Or a pep talk. Or a clear description of the world. Maybe not. Don’t make a big effort for everything to be connected. You might notice connections later. And if you don’t, you will still have written something interesting. Slowly, slowly, some kind of picture will develop.
When you feel like you’ve written enough, stop. If there’s still room on the page, fill it with drawing or decoration. If you write only a few sentences and switch over into drawing, that’s just fine.
When the page is full, look it over carefully and make small changes if you like. When a title idea floats to the surface of your mind, write the title at the top of the page.
Write the date on the page too, along with a signature or your initials.
Here is an example of what someone could write.
You can share your work by posting it as a comment below. You can type it in, or take a photo of it and upload the image.
Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. If you would like some help with your writing, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.
Latah Recovery Community Center, Inc. 