Apples

by Nancy Casey

Fall has arrived on the Palouse. The morning air is crisp—and so are the apples! Today, write about apples. Maybe a story from your life, or one from your imagination. You could write a list. Or a string of two-sentence stories or observations. Just start with an apple (or many) and take it wherever it goes.

Set up a page with a line across the top where your title will go so you are certain to have a place to put it when you have finished writing. You can also draw a box, a border or a blob that you’ll use for illustration. You can even start with the illustration to settle your mind and give you time to think.

Here are some approaches you could take for writing about apples:

• Eat an apple with all of your senses turned on and describe the experience.
• Begin with a memory of eating, buying, or picking apples.
• Comment on a fairy tale or myth that has one or more apples in it.
• Begin with one of the many of the expressions that have apples in them: the apple of your eye, an apple a day, road apples, apples and oranges, rotten apples…
• Start with something made of apples: cider, juice, vinegar, pie…

Pick an apple-thought and start. You don’t have to decide everything you are going to say in order to begin. Just get yourself going and write about whatever comes to mind next. If you stray from the subject of apples, so be it. You can’t mess this up.

When you feel like you’ve written enough, stop. If there’s still room on the page, fill it with drawing or decoration.

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 it 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.

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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.