Starting the second month (one whole month of Trying in the books!) of my / “our” weekly endeavor of effort + experimentation (as described in Try 101: The Manifesto).
Here’s this week’s creative plan invitation(s):
Prep + Mise en Place
(1) Write a list of 30 things you love right now. If you’re feeling generous, share your list in the comments section. I’d love to see what you love right now.
Prompts
(2) For your journal or commonplace:
- Fill a page—the WHOLE page—in your notebook with the names of places you’ve been to in the world. Pick places that still have a hold of your heart, your mind, your spirit. Again, be imaginative and specific, literal and figurative
- Do a short, focused free write (aka: riff + fill) about one of these places. Maybe it’s a stream-of-consciousness recounting of the last ten minutes you spent there?
(3) Here’s this week’s (nonfiction) prompt:
- Food Essay. Write about a meaningful — emotionally weighted, memorable — meal you’ve eaten. Pick one where you ate a particularly significant dish. Maybe it’s a family recipe or a regional or cultural classic. Maybe it was a signature dish at a famous (or infamous) restaurant. You get the idea. Pay particular attention to the food itself as both a sensory and emotional (and perhaps cultural) experience.
If You’re Bored or Stuck
- Take a 20-minute nap. No more, no less. Freewrite (longhand) or draw for ten minutes when you wake up.
All of these prompts are to be found in the Try 101 syllabus, an open-source plan for living your most creative life. I’m taking the next year to complete the syllabus and share the results. I’d love to have some company along the way!
Happy trying.
