In the News

by Nancy Casey

Here on the Palouse, we’ve arrived in the season that slides into winter. The precipitation is drizzly and cold. We’re getting some previews of snow. The daylight time is short and getting shorter. We turn our clocks back next weekend. Are you ready for what’s coming?

Today, write about how you get ready for the changes that winter brings. Have you done some things already? Will you be doing some more things soon?

Think about what it takes to keep you comfortable and happy in the winter. At the same time, get our your writing stuff and set up your page.

Draw a line across the top of the page where your title will go. Set aside some space for illustration if you like. Start out by drawing or doodling if it helps your mind focus.

When an idea about getting ready for winter pops into your mind, write it down. One idea will lead to another. If it doesn’t right away, draw or doodle to keep yourself focused on the page.

Maybe you will write about how you adapt to the weather—how you change your routine to stay warm and dry, the clothes you start wearing and where you keep them.

Do your eating habits change in winter? What about your social life, work responsibilities or favorite amusements? Do you look forward to these changes? How do you get ready for them?

Perhaps you have hobbies, activities, or projects that you like to do in winter. How do you set yourself up for them so that everything goes smoothly?

When you have filled up the page with thoughts about preparing for winter, look back over your work. Add illustration or decoration if you like. Take a moment to notice what you have done.

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 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 or encouragement with any kind of writing project, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.

by Nancy Casey

Although you might not want it anywhere, you can find it just about everywhere: in the sky, on the ground, in your shoes, under the bed, even in outer space. In can make you bat your eyelashes, or bring on an asthma attack. If you get Covid, it can feel like your brain is full of it.

Today, write about dust.

Clear the dust from your mind and your workspace and set yourself up to write.

Arrange your writing stuff in front of you so it looks pleasing to you. Take a breath or two. Wiggle around a little to loosen yourself up.

Draw a line at the top of the page where your title will go. Set aside some space for illustration if you like. Start drawing or doodling in it if it helps your mind focus.

What, exactly, is dust anyway? Where does it come from? What does it turn into when it’s not dust anymore? You could write about that.

You could write about all the dust that you can see from where you are sitting.

What are some of the best ways to get rid of dust? If you get it wet, is it still dust?

Another possibility would be to write about all the ways that dust can be annoying. Or all the places and spaces where there is dust and it really doesn’t bother you.

If you want to get scientific, you could gather up some dust and look at it with a magnifying glass. Do dust particles have different sizes, shapes and colors?

The phrase dust to dust comes from the Bible. What does that mean? Do you think it’s true?

Dust can be a metaphor, too. What does it mean if you say your mind or your memory is filled with dust? Can that happen to a relationship? What if you are left in the dust? Have you ever been dusted off? Or dusted up? What happens when the dust settles?

Do you have a story you can tell in which dust plays a role? Has dust ever made your day, or ruined your plans?

Write down the first idea that comes into your mind. Most people keep getting ideas once they start writing. (If you don’t, doodle on the page somewhere so you don’t stop “writing.”)

When you have filled up the page, look back over your work. Add illustration or decoration 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 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.

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Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. If you would like some help or encouragement with any kind of writing project, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.