Prep + Mise en Place
- Write a list of 30 things you love right now. (Here is my example: PDF)
- For your journal or commonplace:
- Revisit your preoccupations from a couple of weeks ago. Which are still going strong? Which have dropped off? Pick one (either kind — one that still has its grip on you or one that’s lost it) and make a new list. What things — specific things: nouns, verbs — do you associate with it? (Here is my example: PDF)
Appetizer
- Do a short, focused free write that includes three to five of the words on your new list. (Here is my example: PDF)
Main Course
- Write an essay that explains how something works or how something happened. You can take the opportunity to be humorous and/or ironic or you can be just as earnest and straight-ahead as you want to be. (Here is my example: How to Read a Poem During a Pandemic)
Dessert
- Start a dream journal. Try to keep it up for at least a week.