Early on in the Creative Writing 2017 course, one of my students (M.B., Class of 2019) suggested we could do a get-to-know-you session by each mentioning "a high and a low." I tweaked this suggestion (A Great One, by the way...) by having us focus on a Writing High and a Writing Low. From this day forth, it will be known as the M.B. If Only Protocol, and I will add to this list -- as necessary.
As of today's writing (14 Feb. 2017), this is the list of "If Onlys...":
If Only I could find writing inspiration / enough prompts / topics / something to write about.
Eventually, you will find so much inspiration to write about that you will have to keep a notebook just for a list of all the topics you wish to write about. Until that time, here is some quick "find a topic" advice:
- Free write and see what happens / comes out. You might be surprised what comes out of your mind and writing utensil / keyboard when you let your brain and soul go in any and all directions. If something truly intriguing comes out in your writing, it wants to be explored.
- Keep Pinterest boards or Tumblrs or Reddits of inspirational / upsetting / comforting / controversial topics. Use it/them as inspiration. I have a Pin board called Beauty! and another one called Truth! Poetry! I even have one called Cuteness/Kindness for When I'm Grouchy. Lastly, I have one called Awesome Aphorisms.
- Listen to music from a particularly intense time in your life. Stay open to all that bubbles up for you. Write, when you're ready.
- Write a letter you wish you could send -- to a crush, a former friend, a teacher who you admire (or one who is frustrating you). Keep this piece of writing anonymous but let FLY with all that you would say to him/her.
- Last resort: Google "writing prompts" and see what comes up.
If Only I could like it more.
- Before you do anything else, write yourself a note about why you don't like writing.
- Generally speaking, those who don't like writing fall into two categories: they think they cannot write or they feel that they have nothing of import to write about.
- NOTE: If you can talk, you can write. So... write as though you are talking. If you're frustrated with writing, not having a specific topic, or that your grammar isn't perfect during your first draft, LET FLY AND LET LOOSE. You tell that paper or electronic file who's boss! You say absolutely everything that comes to mind. If you're angry, let it know you're angry. If you want to swear at it, swear at it. Then? Either delete it or save it somewhere. Call that paper / file your WRITING RANT, and move to the next place your mind wants to go. It will probably go to the If Only I could find writing inspiration... section, above.
If Only I could explain things well / be more descriptive.
- Start with something simple. A good example would be one of the office products on my pass in / office supplies table. Describe the item as though you desperately need it to be brought to you, but you cannot call it by its simple name (the red stapler, the bigger hole punch, the smaller hole punch, etc.). Add every single detail a person would need to know in order to find the office product in my room, confirm it's the correct item, and then bring it to you. Close your eyes and see it with your mind's eye. Look at it from the perspective of my door's threshold, then from the perspective of the heater, etc.
- Once you have described something simple that is in a straight-forward location in my room, turn your attention to something from your memory. The way your brother's face looked when he was first holding his son, etc. Let the reader figure out on her / his own how your brother was feeling. Show his emotions in the way he cradles his son, the way he adjusts his blanket around his chin, in spite of your brother's hands being massive and strong, etc.
If Only I could break out and try other genres, other than the ones I'm comfortable with.
- Other than the easy answer to this (Just try...), there are genre lists that I will share (I will put copyrighted resources in a shared Google Drive folder, which I will link from our Creative Writing Google Classroom).
- Additionally, do an Internet search on writing genres to see what comes up as a new, not-too-scary genre to try. Here's the key: you don't have to show *anyone* your attempts.
- This is a reasonable, though limited, list: http://www.slsd.org/webpages/lfrasch/gifted.cfm?subpage=2015262
If Only I could find enough/any time to write.
- Ah... welcome to the writing life. Never enough time to write. Never enough time to read. And to quote our very own Stephen King, “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that” (On Writing..., 147).
- Reality check: virtually no one has long stretches of time, with perfect energy, with a beautiful spot to inspire us, with the perfect music to urge us on. We make it happen when we can, as we don't really have any other choice but to write.
- Bill Roorbach suggests that we writers keep a notebook with us at all times: one in our car, one on our nightstand, one in our purse / backpack. Then? When the time is available (lines, airline delays, etc.), you have just found some writing time.
- Using the dictation feature on your phone is a convenient and easy way to capture thoughts you want to explore later. Dictate them, knowing they will not be letter perfect, email them to yourself, and pick up with them when you can.
If Only I could stop being overly self-critical.
- I will put the Crafting versus Editing chart from Kelly Gallagher in the shared Google Drive folder, as well as two-three other resources I have on overcoming the demanding internal editor. Mostly, the best advice is to look at art, think of artists, the messier the studio the better.
- Van Gogh didn't create the beauty of Starry Night by painting "within the lines." Think about that for a moment and let it sink in.
If Only I could overcome Writer's Block.
My personal Writer's Block strategies (the ones that work for exactly one person - me):
- ranting onto paper / into a word processing document about how annoying I find any one of the following topics: Writer's Block, the topic of the writing, or myself;
- listening to loud music and boogying while writing (yes, really, even though I'm almost 49);
- taking a quick beauty break, if I cannot leave my seat (looking at photos of beauty, online, or going to beautiful memories, in my mind);
- writing something completely new;
- making myself do something extremely annoying / boring so that the writing suddenly seems much more intriguing. Usually this is paying bills or teaching myself the algebra I didn't understand in high school.
If Only I could write creatively all the time, not just in Creative Writing class (i.e., in all English / Comp classes).
- Here's the extremely cool part of having a creative mind: with the right outlook, you can make all of your writing prompts creative. It's just how you look at the assignment. Here's what I ask myself when I am faced with a DULL writing assignment: How Can I Make this Assignment Intriguing, Interesting, and Relevant to my Life so that I Feel Like It Was a Beneficial Use of my Time? Then I check my wacky idea against the prompt and the rubric. If I'm still feeling that my approach is too "out there," I will check in with my instructor before I get going with the research and drafting.
- And... you can write creatively all the time. In Facebook posts, on Twitter, on Instagram, in texts. When you're talking to another bright, creative friend. It's all writing! :)
If Only I could continue with my ideas, so I could continue to develop them / they wouldn't fade away.
- Generally, this means a writer is trying to accomplish too much at once. Slow down and focus on the showing by allowing scene to work its magic. Even if the only "thing" that happens is that your main character takes the garbage all the way to the curb before school, only to realize that it's not garbage day, just as he sees the school bus arrive, that's still a compelling story that most of us can relate to. If you use showing in that scene, only the most uncaring reader will become bored by that student's tale of woe.
- In other words, slow down, think small, and focus on scene.
- Also remember that Flannery O'Connor writes: "If nothing happens, it's not a story."
If Only I could stop the continual story yammering in my mind.
- See above, about finding enough time to write. In that section, I've described how I "grab" my thoughts with dictation software. It helps with the yammering. I do this whenever I need to "hold onto" thoughts I'm afraid I'll lose. Usually the dictation software works faster and more accurately than my hand with a pencil or my hands on a keyboard.
If Only I could have this writing flexibility / fun / adventure after I graduate from high school.