Prep + Mise en Place
- Write a list of 30 things you love right now. (Here’s my example: PDF)
- For your journal or commonplace:
- Fill a 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. (Here’s my example: PDF)
Appetizer
- Do a short, focused free write about one of these places. Maybe it’s a stream-of-consciousness recounting of the last ten minutes you spent there? (Here’s my example: PDF)
Main Course
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. (Here’s my example: Last Supper)
Dessert
Take a 20-minute nap. No more, no less. Freewrite (longhand) or draw for ten minutes when you wake up.