As I was reviewing my “prompts” recently, I realized that I had been lying. I usually post them with a picture that claims they are “gentle nudges.”
MMMmmmm . . . not really. They’re not gentle at all. I’m usually prompting you to do more than write. I’m usually prompting you to take an additional action that could potentially change your relationship with writing and/or yourself.
I don’t know why I have to make things so damn hard. I just like the idea of double dipping. Why just write when I can transform + write? My prompts communicate certain values, which I am currently in the process of thinking through. But I’m pretty sure these are values that all rebel creators share at some level.
I made a new picture to commemorate my revelation! How do you like it? (It’s a picture of a lampshade that I took in Hawai’i)
This week’s prompt is created by MOI and inspired by Basho’s “Backroads to Far Towns.” It cropped up in this week’s post The Basho Lessons: On Life, Writing & Making Stuff. But if you didn’t get a chance to read it here it is again.
This week, we are going to do something different with our words. We’re going to make them into things we can do stuff with.
On the sixth day of
even this month’s poetry’s
night usual
rough as the sea is
reaching over to Sado
the Heaven’s star stream.
Basho probably refers to an annual festival in Japan in which people make poems about stars and hang them on trees. The star stream is the Milky Way. I imagine the stars are more easily able to retrieve the words and stories hanging in the air. What do you do with your words? To me it seems a shame to write only for a page and then sentence the words to the page forever. Basically, words on pages make writers rich or famous so that’s all anyone wants to do with words around these parts. Those aims are fine but there are other options as well. And rebel creators explore all the options (and create NEW ones). Try doing something surprising or unusual with your words and be open to the possibility that this new use or action might change your perceptions about writing. Start to see your words as things you can do stuff with.
Did you do this prompt? If so, I’d love to hear about it!
