by Nancy Casey
Put a fire in your writing today. Literally. Write about anything that you want to, as long as it has at least one fire in it.
As you set up your page, think about fires that you have seen or heard about, fires that you have started, and fires you have put out. And every other kind of fire that might pop into your imagination.
Draw a line at the top of the page where your title will go. Set aside some space for illustration if you like. Draw or doodle while you wait for an idea to come into your mind. When an idea presents itself, start writing. Even if the idea seems lame.
The first fires you might think of are the kind with flames that burn stuff up in front of you. Or perhaps you mind will fall upon all the fiery bodies in the universe. If we burn calories, does that mean that there are little fires in each one of our cells?
What kind of fire is it when someone is all fired up about something? What burns when a person fires off a tweet, a retort, or a gun? Are there flames when someone gets fired?
If you get burned, what do the ashes look like? What do burning questions devour?
Invite your imagination to roam freely in and around the notion of fire. Fill up a page with some of those thoughts. Then look back over your work. Squeeze in some additions or changes if needed.
Add some type of illustration or decoration to your page if you like.
Do your ideas form any kind of a pattern? Do they seem to be about a bigger idea that you hadn’t really planned on writing about? If they do, maybe you can use that insight to think up a title. If they don’t, make up some kind of a title anyway and write it at the top of the page.
Put your initials or a signature on the page, too. And write the date on it. Here is just one 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. 