January 24, 2012

Hi friends & writers!

Third week going, and I’m doing grateful dances for last week’s snow. Enjoy this wet week – it’s good weather for writing in coffee shops.

PROCESS: THE UNIT SYSTEM

The beauty of writing to prompts is in how time expands to fit what we ask of it. If we have ten minutes, we can write for ten minutes. If we have an hour we can write for an hour. But sometimes too-long chunks of time can feel as vast and endless as the ocean. And other times, waiting for big chunks of time means that writing never gets done.

Try this: Remedy this by using the unit system. Ask yourself to write for 10 minutes – that’s all. Give yourself a direction or prompt so that you are not just floundering in the waves. Then try 15 or 25 minutes. Then two sets of 25 minutes, with a ten minute break in between. Next time you consider a mindless email check in between things, set a timer and write for a “unit” instead. And see what you can write in a day.

FEATURED VENUE: STORY STORY NIGHT

Warning: this venue contains stage fright. But once you start telling your story, it is one of the most satisfying audiences a writer could ever have – and in addition, SSN offers amazing support to help their storytellers get their story “just so” before telling it on stage. Upcoming themes include “The Breakup” and “Betrayal” – and their new submissions policy invites anyone to “Send in your best story!” and they’ll try to work it into an upcoming theme.

Submission Guidelines here: http://www.storystorynight.org/featured-storytellers.html

PROMPT

“It came this close to working out just as we planned.” (10min)

Please share The Tuesday Writer with other writers.