On a website called Planetsark.com run by the writer SARK who writes about living "juicy," I just now came upon the delightful idea of "most alive choice." I think if I put it into action it might sometimes pull me away from my sofa and Hershey's Kisses and my People, Allure and Vanity Fair magazines (not that there's anything wrong with any of that.)
The idea is to ask oneself at moments of indecision or transition: what is my "most alive choice?" Lots of times, I'm guessing, the most alive thing will be to act in a way that's not habitual. I'm going to try it out, see what happens. Will let you know.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Write a 6-word Story
Yesterday I ran across an article about notable American authors asked to produce a 6-word short story. They produced some little gems. Funny, too.
What it brought to mind was my nephew Tucker at age 4 telling his relatives that he had learned to write. What he wrote as a demonstration was this: Aunt Peggy is a bad girl. Six words. Not a story exactly, there's no conflict or action. Nonetheless a lot is implied. Certainly he demonstrated that he can write fiction.
This morning, I thought of a 6-word sort-of-story that, at about 14,I thumbtacked to my bulletin board over my desk in my teen-age bedroom. It was a Weyerhauser recruiting ad with the headline: Send Me a Man Who Reads. Again, though, the rest of the story is implied.
It's not an easy assignment: to set up a character and a problem and a resolution in 6 words. Give it a shot and send the results. It's a fun problem.
What it brought to mind was my nephew Tucker at age 4 telling his relatives that he had learned to write. What he wrote as a demonstration was this: Aunt Peggy is a bad girl. Six words. Not a story exactly, there's no conflict or action. Nonetheless a lot is implied. Certainly he demonstrated that he can write fiction.
This morning, I thought of a 6-word sort-of-story that, at about 14,I thumbtacked to my bulletin board over my desk in my teen-age bedroom. It was a Weyerhauser recruiting ad with the headline: Send Me a Man Who Reads. Again, though, the rest of the story is implied.
It's not an easy assignment: to set up a character and a problem and a resolution in 6 words. Give it a shot and send the results. It's a fun problem.
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