Category: Write for You Blog

by Nancy Casey

Today you will write individual words instead of paragraphs or sentences. You will end up plucking words from interesting corners of your imagination, which is often amusing.

Begin by setting up your page:

• Draw a line across the top where the title will go.
• Draw a line across the bottom of the page that marks off just enough space for exactly one line of writing.
• Draw 2 vertical lines down the remaining empty space on the page so that it is divided into 3 columns.
• At the top of the right-hand column, write the heading “Different.” For the middle column, use the heading “Same.” The left-hand column won’t need a heading.
• For the left-hand column write the letters of the alphabet (A-Z) down the left-hand edge of the page.

Then begin writing. For each letter of the alphabet in the left-hand column, write down a word that begins with that letter. Any word. You don’t have to think them up in alphabetical order. It’s okay to skip around.

It doesn’t really matter where the words come from. You can…

• …write a word that is related to something you have been thinking about.
• …look around you and write down the name of what you see.
• …close your eyes and wait for a word to pop into your mind.
• …go to a place where a lot of people are talking and write down words that you hear.

In the Same column, next to each word you’ve written in the alphabet column, write another word that is more or less the same as the first word.

In the Different column, write down a word that is somehow different from the other two.

You might decide to write down all the words in the alphabet column first, and then fill the other two columns. Or you can write down the words for the Same and Different columns right after you add a word to the alphabet column.

It turns out that there are also lots of different possibilities for going in order or skipping around. Mix it up however you like.

What counts as “same” and what counts as “different” are also entirely up to you. There is lots of wiggle room.

After you have filled up all three columns, in the skinny one-line space at the bottom of the page, write some kind of comment. It might be an observation about the process of filling the columns. Or a thought that passed through your mind as you were writing down words. The comment can be anything that pops into your head and fits into the tiny space allowed.

Finally, give your work a title and write the date on it, too. If you add some kind of illustration, you will be glad you did when you look back at the page later.

Here is an example of what a person could write.

You can share what you have written by posting it as a comment below. To do that, you can type in your work. Or post a picture of it.

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Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. She leads a writing workshop at the Recovery Center on Thursday evenings at 5pm. Anyone can drop in—just show up. You can attend just for fun or work to earn a writing certificate. To sign up or get more information, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Community Center.

by Nancy Casey

It’s summer, but most of us keep a coat handy. There are still chilly mornings and unexpected thunderstorms. It doesn’t always stay warm after the sun goes down. Before the hot days of midsummer make you forget about most of the coats you have ever owned, write about coats.

Write about a coat that you have worn, or are wearing. A coat you might wear or one you wish you could.

There is a lot to say about a coat. They have so many different features and uses. A coat pocket can have a whole world inside. Certain coats are appropriate—or not—for certain places.

Do you have a coat that you like, or dislike? Do you have a coat that helps you out a lot? A coat that annoys you? Have you ever shared a coat?

Every coat has a history. It was made and then what? Sold, bought, lost, found, borrowed, given away, ripped, mended, worn, dyed, went places…?

What if all the coats in the closet talked to each other?

If you mind travels sideways and starts thinking about a coat of paint, you can write about that. Maybe a coat of paint will remind you of coats of wax, sweat, plastic, dust, and other coats that are coatings.

Some coats are imaginary. Have you ever tried to wrap yourself in a coat of confidence? Sometimes people are burdened by heavy coats of grief. What would it feel like to wear a coat of reverence or pride? What’s it like to take off an imaginary coat?

Write about one coat or several of them. When you have finished writing, read over your work. Add decoration and color to the page if you would like. Sometimes a little doodling will help you think up a good title.

Write the title at the top, and make sure the date is on it somewhere, too. Here is an example of what a person could write.

You can share what you have written by posting it as a comment below. To do that, you can type in your work. Or post a picture of it.

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Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. She leads a writing workshop at the Recovery Center on Thursday evenings at 5pm. Anyone can drop in—just show up. You can attend just for fun or work to earn a writing certificate. To sign up or get more information, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Community Center.

Your friendly webmaster (Darrell) was bad last week, and didn’t send out the weekly writing prompt.  So…  It’s two-fer Tuesday!  Scroll down for TWO prompts this week.

Older and Younger by 10

by Nancy Casey

Ten years. Is that a long time?

Sometimes, when you look back, 10 years can seem like 10 minutes. Sometimes, as you live through them, 10 minutes can seem like 10 years.

Today in your writing you will have a chance to think about the actual span of 10 years. What or who is 10 years older than you? Who or what is 10 years younger?

As you start to think about that, set up your page:

Draw a line at the top where you will write the title when you have finished.

Next, draw a circle, or a square or any kind of shape in the center of the page. That will be the space you can use for illustration and doodling.

Finally, draw two lines out from the center shape to the edge of the page in such a way that the remaining space on the page is divided roughly in half.

On one side of the page write the word “Older.” On the other side of the page, write “Younger.”

On the Older side of the page, write about things or people that are 10 years older than you. Think about people who are definitely older than you, but aren’t old enough to be your parent. Who was in high school when you were in preschool? Can you think of any inventions or types of knowledge that came into the world 10 years before you were born? What happened in history 10 years before you were born? Whatever those events left behind has been here 10 years longer than you.

On the Younger side of the page, write about people or things that are 10 years younger than you. Who was a baby when you were 10 years old? Do you remember what brand new technology or entertainment you longed for when you were 10? Do you have any books or toys or other objects that came into your life when you were 10? When you look at the people around you, is there anything particular you notice about the ones who are 10 years younger than you?

Use the illustration space to draw or doodle while you wait for ideas to pop into your mind.

When you have finished writing, read over your work. Add any decoration or color that you think the page needs. Sometimes a little doodling will help you think up a good title. Write the title at the top of the page and make sure the date is on it somewhere, too. Here is an example of what a person could write.

You can share what you have written by posting it as a comment below. To do that, you can type in your work. Or post a picture of it.

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Ahead and Behind

Does your mind ever whirl round and round like a hamster in a cage, running through all the things that you must do? The things you ought to do? The things you wish you would do? The things that aren’t done yet?

Is your mind equally likely to spin, buzz, and review your many accomplishments?

Today in your writing, you will give your mind a chance to do both. First, set up your page.

Draw a line at the top where the title will go when you have finished. Beneath that line, add two subtitles. On the left write “Do.” On the right write “Done.”

Then make a pencil-thin column down the middle of the page. Inside that column write the letters of the alphabet.

What have you done so far in your life? Think about the chores you did this morning and your antics as a toddler. Think about the people you have helped, the meals you have cooked, the important things you have remembered. What have you organized? What messes have you cleaned up? Try and find something for every letter of the alphabet and write them down on the right-hand side of the page.

On the left-hand side of the page, write down things that you haven’t done yet. Think about the things you must do and the ones you ought to do. What do you wish you would do? Are there things you would like to learn? Places you would like to go? How would you like to change your life? What would you like to add to someone else’s experience?

There is an infinite universe of things you haven’t done out there. You don’t have to limit yourself to the ones that are “realistic.” Try to find something for every letter of the alphabet.

When you have filled up the page, write a title on the line you drew across the top. Write the date on it as well. Draw or doodle on the page if you want to do that. Sometimes a little doodling can help you get unstuck if you don’t know what to write. Doodling on the page after you have finished writing often helps you think up a good title.

Here is an example of what a person could write.

Do you find it easier to remember the past or imagine the future? Do you think of yourself as a person who “gets things done,” or someone burdened with more wishes and demands than one life has time for? You might want to get out a new page and write about that, too.

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Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. She leads a writing workshop at the Recovery Center on Thursday evenings at 5pm. Anyone can drop in—just show up. You can attend just for fun or work to earn a writing certificate. To sign up or get more information, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Community Center.

 

by Nancy Casey

We are entering a new season. The sun is in the sky for more than fifteen and a half hours every day. There are fewer clouds and rainstorms to block its rays. This is a good time to pause and write a page about how sunshine affects the world we know.

Set up your page first. Draw a line at the top where you’ll put the title when you have finished. Set aside some space for drawing or doodling. (When you go back and look at your pages, you’ll be surprised by how much you like the ones that have some kind of illustration on them.)

The sun changes everything that it shines upon, so you won’t have trouble finding things to write about. Begin by writing the phrase,

When the sun shines on…

Continue by writing the name of something that the sun might shine upon.

If it is daytime and you are outdoors or near a window, you can see dozens of things responding to sunshine.

You also have many memories of sunshine, on your body and in the world around you. Some of those memories are in the form of knowledge—things that you have learned about the effects of sunshine without experiencing them yourself.

You can even think about sunshine in a symbolic way. Sometimes people talk about letting sunshine into attitudes, ideas, or the past. What happens when you “shed a little light” on something? In government, for example, “sunshine laws” are the laws that make sure government business isn’t conducted in secret.

Whatever you decide to start with, tell what happens when sunshine falls upon it. Write as little or as much as comes to your mind. Maybe you will fill up the whole page with ideas about just one thing. Maybe you will fill up a few lines and feel like you’ve said enough.

If you have room after your first idea, begin again,

When the sun shines on…

Name something else that the sun might shine upon and explain what happens when it does.

Continue this way until you have filled the page.

When you have finished writing, read over your work. Add decoration and color to the page however you would like. Sometimes a little doodling helps you think up a good title. Write the title at the top of the page and make sure the date is somewhere on the page, too. Here is an example of what a person could write.

You can share what you have written by posting it as a comment below. To do that, you can type in your work. Or post a picture of it.

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Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. She teaches a writing class that is free and open to anyone. It meets Thursdays from 5:00-6:15 pm at the Recovery Center, 531 S. Main St in Moscow, ID. Drop-ins welcome! For more information, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Community Center.

by Nancy Casey

If someone says, “No pain…” and then pauses, zillions of people will automatically say, “No gain.” Maybe you are one of them. A person might say it out loud, or they might say it in their mind, a message from themselves, an anti-affirmation.

“No pain, no gain” is a half-truth. Half-truths are dangerous thoughts. The true half lets in the false half. The false half can hurt you.

The true half of the statement, of course, is the idea that in overcoming pain and healing from its effects, a person learns and grows a lot.

The false half is the hidden implication that the first step on the path to growth is to inflict pain on oneself. Or to appreciate it when someone else does.

The full truth: Pain hurts. When there’s no pain, there’s no pain.

Today in your writing, celebrate the idea of being pain-free.

Begin, as always, by setting up your page. Draw a line at the top where you will write your title when you have finished. Set off an area for drawing or doodling if you want to.

Write the words, “No pain.” Then write down something that is possible in the absence of pain. Describe it a little. Or describe it in great detail if many details come to mind.

Then start a new line and write the words again, “No pain.” What else is possible in the absence of pain?

You can imagine the absence of certain pains in your own life, in the lives of other people, or in the whole big world. To keep from dwelling on the pain, don’t describe it. Just write “No pain,” and move on to describing what’s possible without it. When you think about the absence of a particular pain, sometimes you get derailed because there are so many ways to think about the pain. If that happens, interrupt yourself, ask, “And what would be possible without it?”

Nobody who is alive and aware in the world gets very far without experiencing pain. As you fill up this page you will create pain-free pockets in your imagination. Use your writing to enjoy what they are like.

Give your work a title when you have finished. Write the date on it as well.

You can share what you have written by posting it as a comment below. To do that, you can type in your work. Or post a picture of it.

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A group called “Write for You” meets every Thursday at 5:00 pm at the Recovery Center. Anyone can drop in. In each class, people do a page-writing exercise like this one and hear a little pep talk about writing. There is also a closed group where people share their work. Someone who works hard and jumps through a few hoops can earn a Writing Certificate. You can get all the info by coming to the 5:00 class. Or find out more by contacting Nancy or the Latah Recovery Community Center.

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Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here.

by Nancy Casey

Before you sit down to write today, cast your mind into the future and think about the many responsibilities and obligations that await you. Don’t allow yourself to dwell on any particular one or calculate whether you have time for them all. Resist mental scheduling and rescheduling. Just take an imaginary boat ride over that ocean of responsibility that you have out there.

You have responsibilities to yourself. You do so many different things each day to keep yourself alive, healthy and amused in the world.

Obligations arise in every kind of relationship—in families and friendships, with co-workers, among members of study and support groups, and in traffic. Even in fleeting relationships with strangers, we have certain obligations.

Many of us feel responsible for certain plants, animals, or machines. Many feel responsibilities towards their ancestors or others who are no longer alive.

Of all these myriad responsibilities that you have, choose one. Big or small. It doesn’t matter. Something you dread or something you love. Any responsibility or obligation that you have.

For your writing today, you will make a page-sized poster like the ones you see on bulletin boards and utility poles that advertise a coming event. The event you will advertise is the exciting opportunity to meet the responsibility that you have chosen to write about.

To give you some ideas for getting started, here are some of the elements of such a poster:

• Different sizes of type or lettering
• An eye-catching title
• A bulleted list of enticements
• Unpleasant parts are made to sound wonderful
• Short phrases
• An inviting tone
• Illustration
• Color
• Conveys interest and excitement
• Grabs your interest from across the room.

Here is an example of what a person could do.

When you have finished the poster, read it over and check out how it looks from far away. Add anything else that you need on the page. Write the date on it as well.

You can share your poster by taking a picture of it and posting it as a comment below.

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Writing classes start this Thursday at the LRC! Please come! 5:00-6:30pm.

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Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. She offers (free!) writing help to anyone in recovery. This can be for any kind of writing project—resumes, letters, stories, novels, homework, etc. To sign up for the classes she teaches at the Recovery Center or get more information about them, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Community
Center.

Reply
Forward

by Nancy Casey

Two new classes related to writing and speaking will be starting in the month of May at the Latah Recovery Community Center. Like all classes and activities at the LRCC, they are free and open to anyone. If you have been curious about the Center, attending a free class is a good way to learn a bit more about what happens at the Center and how you can contribute.

Write For You

• 5:00-6:30 PM, every Thursday starting May 16.
• Anyone can drop into this class on any Thursday.
• “Writing” means different things to different people. One goal of the class is for everyone to learn how writing can be useful and fun for themselves personally. We will experiment with lots of different kinds of writing. So you can decide what you think.
• The focus of the class will be on writing one page at a time. One page, and then you are done. (Until you write another!)
• To write these pages, we will follow exercises like the ones in the LRCC’s weekly Write For You writing prompts.
• There will be homework. It’s optional. (Some people want to write more than others.)

Stand Up!

• 6:30-8:00 PM, 3^rd and 4^th Thursdays of the month, starting May 23.
• This is a closed group. You must attend at least one Write For You class and get permission to attend.
• We will practice different techniques for talking in front of an audience.
• For some people this is easy and for other it is the worst thing in the world. We can all help and encourage each other.
• We will also practice techniques for being a good audience.
• This class will also help you speak up in any situation where you are anxious.

Writing Certificates

• If you jump through certain hoops, you can earn a Writing Certificate.
• One of those hoops is to attend 12 Write For You classes. To learn more, come to class or contact Nancy.

The Default Page

• One of the things we will cover in the first Write For You class is the Default Page. That’s the page that you can always write, no matter what.
• Sometimes you feel stuck or frozen. You are willing to write, but for some reason can’t. You might even know what you want to write about and still can’t get started. That’s when you write the Default Page.
• To write the Default Page, describe what’s in front of you, whatever it is, no matter how boring it is, even if you sat in the same chair and wrote the Default Page yesterday.
• For the Default Page, write down what you see or smell or hear. Comment on it, or not. There is always something in front of you, write down what it is. Sooner or later you will have written a page. Then you are done.
• Today in your writing, write a Default Page. Doodle on it, too. Give it a title and write the date on it.

You can share what you have written by posting it as a comment below. To do that, you can type in your work. Or post a picture of it.

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Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. She offers (free!) writing help to anyone in recovery. This can be for any kind of writing project—resumes, letters, stories, novels, homework, etc. Her Thursday writing classes at the Recovery Center will start May 16 at 5:00 PM. To sign up or get more information, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Community Center.

by Nancy Casey

If life held no contradictions, then words like problem, difficulty or overcome wouldn’t be in the dictionary. Contradictions do abound, however, and probably always will. Today in your writing, you will celebrate contradictions.

Begin with two lines of notes. Across the first line, write down words for friendly little creatures. Ones that you like. Maybe they are cuddly. The kind of creatures that might make good imaginary friends. You’ll have room for a half dozen or so.

On the second line, write down words that describe awful qualities that people can have. Think about things that you don’t like about yourself or other people. Think about things you aren’t supposed to say about yourself or other people. They don’t necessarily have to be terrible, as long as they have negative connotations. (Grumpy…Insensitive…Lazy…Controlling…Messy…) A half-dozen or so should fit on the line.

Next, invent a creature whose name has two words, one from each list. The name might be something like Naughty Bunny, Sullen Pollywog or Clumsy Chickadee.

The name will always be contradictory because one part is pleasant and friendly part and the other is rather crummy. If you think the name is funny, you’ll have fun imagining more about the creature..

Write about the creature with the contradictory name that you just invented. What kinds of things do they do? What kinds of problems and difficulties do they cause?

If you get tired of writing about one creature, you can invent another one by combining different words from your list and write about that one two.

If you want, you can write a story that has several of these creatures wreaking chaos wherever they go. In their friendly way, they can’t seem to help it.

When you have finished writing, read over your work. Change or add information. Add decoration and color to the page however you would like. Sometimes a little doodling will help you think up a good title. Write the title at the top of the page and make sure the date is on it somewhere, too. Add even more decoration and color to the page if you would like. Here is an example of what a person could write.

You can share what you have written by posting it as a comment below. To do that, you can type in your work. Or post a picture of it.

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Would you like to do exercises like this in a class setting? Summer writing groups and classes will start May 16 at the Recovery Center. You can come just for fun, enjoy the company, and, if you choose, share your work. If you jump through some hoops you can earn a Writing Certificate. Classes will meet Thursday evenings at 5pm. Here is all the information. If you have been curious about the Recovery Center, this is a good opportunity to see more of what it’s about. The classes are free and open to all.

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Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. She offers (free!) writing help to anyone in recovery. This can be for any kind of writing project—resumes, letters, stories, novels, homework, etc. She will be teaching writing classes at the Recovery Center on Thursday evenings, starting May 16. To sign up or get more information, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Community
Center.