Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Take a Flying Leap

A springboard is anything that propels you into writing; free writing, journal entry, rough draft of a new poem – any old form your inspiration takes. Lots of books on writing have great lists of prompts to get you going. A Writer’s Book of Days by Judy Reeves or Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg are two that come to mind. I’m partial to diving off from a great line I’ve run across in a poem or novel. When a turn of phrase arrests me in some way, I jot it down in a little notebook I keep near my desk. Whenever I’m ready to free write, I flip open my notebook and pick the first thing that strikes me – then fling myself into the abyss.

I’ll be adding a daily (or nearly) springboard above for your consideration, and I invite you to take a flying leap.

Springboard du Jour: "I am lonely, lonely. I was born to be lonely, I am best so!" from Danse Russe by William Carlos Williams

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