The Notebooking Daily 2020 Writing Series is here! These are daily writing exercises for both prose writers and poets to keep your creative mind stretched and ready to go—fresh for your other writing endeavors. The writing prompts take the impetus—that initial crystal of creation—out of your hands (for the most part) and changes your writing creation into creative problem solving. Instead of being preoccupied with the question "What do I write" you are instead pondering "How do I make this work?" And in the process you are producing new writing.
These exercises are not meant to be a standard writing session. They are meant to be productive and to keep your brain thinking about using language to solve simple or complex problems. The worst thing you can do is sit there inactive. It's like taking a 5 minute breather in the middle of a spin class—the point is to push, to produce something, however imperfect. If you don't overthink them, you will be able to complete all of the exercises in under 30 minutes.
#193
Title Mania Plus 31
For today's writing exercise you will write a piece of poetry or prose which uses one of the following as its title. Before you write, first read the poem from which the titles are selected. For a bonus challenge use the additional exercise of five random constraints.Title Mania Plus 31
Today's titles come from Wendell Berry's poem "Before Dark".
Titles:
- Wild in Flight
- Down the River
- Passing On
- Splashes Farther and Farther On
- Beyond the Willows
- Somewhere the Night
Bonus Exercise: Three Things
(Your piece must also include the following three 'things')
- A Stray Cat (or Dog)
- A Pillow
- A Spoon
If you'd like some background music to write to, try Japanese musician Susumu Yokota's 1999 electronic album Sakura.
