Mindworks Coaching

Everyone Can Write Poetry

Susan — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:48:15 +0000

So many people tell me that they “can’t write poetry” – I say ” Of course you can! If you can speak, or think and write, you can create poetry.” I think what people really mean to say is that they can’t write poetry that looks like the forms they learned in high school. Today I discovered a wonderful site with directions for writing simple poetry. They even have a free Twitter application (TwiHaiku) that lets you share your thoughts, feelings, views, and ideas in a brief poetic manner. TwiHaiku – Twitter Poetry, is a free Twitter application that lets you share your thoughts, feelings, views or ideas about anything in a poetic manner. Check it out – and share your poems here if you like! I don’t tweet but I can listen! Enjoy…

here’s the link to Different Types of Poetry: http://www.makeliterature.com/blog/different-types-of-poems

572 peanuts in a jar of peanut butter….

Susan — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:47:42 +0000

Did you know that it takes 572 peanuts to make a jar of peanut butter? According to an NPR report yesterday, America is in the midst of a peanut crisis. We are running short of peanuts and the price of peanut butter is rising. While this may not be a catastrophic event, the peanut shortage is an indicator for our current economic situation. As households budgets decline, families are returning to peanut butter as a major source for inexpensive protein. While I found this information interesting what really caught my attention was the actual number of peanuts it takes to make a jar of peanut butter… 572 peanuts. Not a pound, not 16 ounces but a specific number of discreet nuts to be ground to a smooth consistency and poured into a jar. That’s amazing – and that’s detailed reporting.

As writers we want our work to be captivating and memorable. To accomplish that we must pay attention to details: naming names, identifying locations, being specific instead of generalizing. I remember yesterday’s article because of a single detail – the number of peanuts in a jar – and with that detail as a key phrase in my mind, I am able to recall more of the article’s content. Whether you’re writing for publication or for personal pleasure, remember that life is in the details. Be interesting, be specific….and be remembered.

Watch for registration details for the next “Playing With Words” online workshop. Begins January 2012 through the Therapeutic Writing Institute. 8-weeks of fast, fun, and poeticly sourced exercises to add zest to your writing and deepen your personal experience with language as a tool for self-expression.

Playing with Words: Ekphrasis

Susan — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:06:09 +0000

For the past several weeks I’ve been having some fun teaching an online course titled the “Joy of Writing” for the Therapeutic Writing Institute.

In my business as a writing coach and workshop facilitator sometimes I neglect my own creative process. Playing with words is one way to juice up my writing in a short time frame. Most recently we’ve been working with ekphrasis – the literary representation of visual art.

For centuries, writers and artists have held a dynamic conversation relating poetry to art and art to poetry. John Keats’ classic poem Ode on a Grecian Urn is a famous example of ekphrastic writing. Many 20th century poets continued to find their inspiration in art – most notably W.H. Auden (Musee des Beaux Arts) and William Carlos Williams (Landscape on the Fall of Icarus and The Dance) who each based poems on the work of Pieter Breughel the Elder, one of the Dutch masters.

If you are seeking inspiration for your writing practice, why not try your hand at ekphrasis? If you are lucky to live near an art museum or gallery, take a field trip to explore the artwork available. If not, Google one of the many major art museums and browse their online collection of old masters and contemporary art. You’ll find plenty to stimulate your imagination.

Here is a list of possible starting places for your writing:

make up a story about the history of the painting.
Write a story from the point of view of one of the people or objects in the painting
Imagine that someone is missing from the painting. Write about who is missing or why.
Write the story from the point of view of someone or something outside the painting.
Write a detailed description of the painting itself; comment on situation, color, imagery
Write a dialogue between characters in a painting (My favorie for this is Edward Hopper’s Nighthawk)
Write about the artist who created the painting. What was s/he thinking while painting? How was the day going?
Find the smallest object in the painting; write about it.
Begin with: If I were the artist I would change . . .

I’m sure you can find many more prompts to begin your exploration of art through writing.

Have some fun – enjoy some art! Love to hear your comments about the process.

For more information about online courses with the Therapeutic Writing Institute visit http://twinstitute.net

Spoken Word Poetry – Connecting To Life With Words

Susan — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:29:02 +0000

Enjoy this video clip by Sarah Kay as she speaks her poems and talks about finding a voice through spoken poetry. Includes great tips on writing from life – why we tell our stories.

http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter.html

Where do writers get their ideas?

Susan — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:59:20 +0000

I’m at a writing conference this week: From Passion to Profit –learning about success strategies and how to become slightly famous. What I love most about writers conferences is the time in between when we gather for meals and conversation. This morning our breakfast conversation drifted from foods we love to strange foods we’ve eaten to a movie about a woman who wrote jingles and slogans to feed her family. (I think the name of the movie is “Prizewinner of Defiance County”). One of the prizes she wins is a shopping spree at a grocery store. It got me thinking: what would I do if I had five minutes and a shopping cart?
Writing ideas are everywhere – just sit and listen deeply to the conversations around you. What intrigues you? What captures your interest or curiosity? All of this is fodder for your writing practice.

Here’s how our conversation flowed during the thirty minutes we shared at the breakfast table.

Topics today:
Prizewinning
Five minute shopping spree
Favorite foods
Most unusual foods
Awful horror movies
Really scary horror movies
Childhood illnesses
Polio and vaccines
Surgery
Lethal bacteria and hospitals.

(Yuk! how did we get there? )

Pick a topic, set your timer for five minutes and write!

The Bright Core of Failure

Susan — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:48:30 +0000

Too often we fall prey to labeling: not good enough, didn’t work, a failure….

Rumi says even if you find only ruin and failure YOU are the bright core of that. That’s a hard philosophy to wrap my mind around. Who wants to be at the heart of failure?

This week I was encouraged by the possibility of hiring a house cleaner. After six years of managing kids, career and household on my own I decided that a house cleaner was the one thing I could do right now that would make the biggest difference in my life. Based on a referral, I interviewed and hired a nice young woman who seemed keen to help me get organized.

Looking forward to indoor help, I tackled my outdoor projects with enthusiasm – no longer feeling guilty about neglecting the dust bunnies curled under my bed. I knew I had time to rearrange the sprinkler system, plant the shrubs, put in some flowering plants for color because the cleaning lady was coming to take care of the inside of the house! I even found time to restore order to some of the rooms laid waste by all the recent moving in and moving out of my adult children and their furniture.

Throughout the weekend I eagerly sorted the landscape and redirected the odds and ends around the house. My available time expanded and I accomplished more than usual. THEN the cleaner called to say she’s not coming; she’s taken another job with less work and for more money. Bummer!

After hearing her phone message (yes she dumped me by voicemail!) I registered mysincere disappointment by caling her a few names – then got back to business. I looked around and saw that I had already begun creating order where chaos had once reigned. I was able to relax and be at peace with what was not yet complete.

Instead of focusing on what’s not working, I shifted my gaze to what is working.I found the bright core in my failure to secure household help: I had stopped stressing over what seemed to be an enormous workload and taken satisfaction from completing many small tasks.

Next time you’re feeling defeated by failure, check your perspective. Find the bright core – the silver lining – in whatever is happening in your life.

Today’s writing prompt:
What’s working in your life today?
Where do you find encouragement or inspiration?

Keeping track of business – and life!

Susan — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:27:38 +0000

Before I became a coach I was a research engineer for a large corporation. I kept copious notes on equipment, test protocols and results for multiple projects and for numerous department heads. I recorded my work day in fifteen minute increments. At year end I submitted summary reports that identified completed projects, projects that were still viable and the level of progress, as well as those that had come to a dead end and should be terminated. My supervisor had me set quarterly goals with budget projections and requested timely interim progress reports. All of this seemed natural, productive and a purposeful way to conduct business but I never thought to use this process at home or in my life.

How much easier would life be if we had a plan?

These days I bring those research and engineering skills to the process of creating a satisfying life. Tracking goals, dreams and desires is much easier when you use a journal. Regular writing will keep you on your toes when it comes to achieving your big life goals.

Here are some simple tips for using your journal to keep track of life:
1. Write down your goals. It’s a well-known fact that more people accomplish goals when they are written.
2. Review your goals at regular intervals. Annually is the minimum, quarterly is better. Monthly will certainly keep you on target.
3. Use your journal regularly to record your progress. How much have you accomplished? What’s working for you? What would you like to change?
4. Remember, your journal is your friend – not your judge. If you aren’t making progress, use your journal to discover the reason. What are your obstacles? Whose dream is it anyway? Sometimes we have items on our life to-do list that belong to someone else. You’ll find out when you write and reflect.
5. Create and adjust. Your journal will help you redefine and realign your priorities.
6. Celebrate when you reach a goal. Write about the reward, how you feel, what it means to have success.
7. Be grateful. Write a gratitude list to acknowledge all the support that you experienced along the way. (Daily gratitude lists are a boost to your spirit and keep you focused on the good things in life!)
8. Create something new. Life’s not over until it’s over – there’s always something new. Dream big. What’s next for you? How will you go about making it happen? By when? Use your journal to define a new direction for your life.

If you’d like to learn more about using a journal to keep track of your life or your business, contact me. Or – sign up for a Journal to the Self© online class today. You’ll have all the tools you need at your fingertips. Find the Write Way to manage your life!

Gremlins are driving me crazy!

Admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:48:06 +0000

Last week I made two new journals – from scratch…painted papers, nice hard covers, elaborate stitching on the spines. Now I can’t find them. I swear there are gremlins in my office who take things while I’m asleep. I think of these little guys like the shoemakers elves who come out at night to make shoes – only my elves don’t have any shoes to make so they torment me by moving my stuff. Okay – I get it, I could be more organized.

I am in a constant battle with myself to keep my desk and studio space clean. When I’m in full creative motion I focus without stop on the project at hand. Whether writing or art I give the project complete attention. I take out a dozen bottles of paint, four brushes, a shoe box full of paper scraps and a crate of old magazines. I’ve learned to cut over the waste basket so I don’t have to pick up tiny snippets of paper. I always wash my brushes. But I do have a tendency to just stop at the end of the day without a plan for tomorrow. Usually I’m interrupted by some household urgency (like a husband who needs feeding) or a community meeting of some importance.

Keeping my writing organized is a bit easier. My computer is the world’s best filing cabinet so long as I can remember what I named the file and which folder I put it in. I try to be logical yet some of my documents escape. I don’t know where they go and can’t figure out why. Maybe I have computer gremlins as well.

I have tried all kinds of personal management techniques – even went to the expense of hiring an office organizer to help me sort out my mess. She had great ideas – convinced me that I needed a bigger space to work effectively. So I moved downstairs to the old guest room, put in a bank of industrial shelving. Now I have everything off the floor but I’m still not sure what’s in all the boxes. The cosmic law of organization has me in its force field: my stuff has expanded to fill the space available!

I can write all day about letting go – and have done that many times. I can give myself hints to put folders away and tidy up – all to no avail. My approach now is not to sweat the small stuff. As a creative person, if I made something once, I can make something else – or the same thing again. I don’t need a filebox full of old projects. Now I’m learning to let go of the angst over not finding what I want in the moment. The strange thing about this new approach is that when I begin creating anew, the thing I lost usually surfaces! I guess those gremlins don’t like it when I give in and let them have what they stole.

What are your organizational habits? What do you do to control the material things in your life?

Do you have a space of your own? How is it arranged?

Is there a right way to work?

Take some time today to survey your work space. Let go of the things you don’t need – or let go of your need to be organized! Either way – you’ll be happy.

Guess I’ll be making some new journals this afternoon.