Food: Nectarine, watermelon, a roasting turkey, pumpkin pie, coffee

Outdoors: Forest, flowers, trees, beach/sand/ocean, river water, sunscreen, newly cut grass

Misc: New car smell, new baby smell, old familiar smells, cologne/perfume

Big Steps, leaps, jumps

Expansive decisions

Building momentum

Gigantic leaps

Towering, soaring

Deep decisions

Reaching

Pushing a doorbell

Hands on keyboard

Palm on heart

Taking a step

Taking a deep breath

Releasing breath

One step

Inspired from Rebecca Evan’s free Musings & Movements on Zoom

Sometimes they comfort us.

Sometimes they keep us from moving forward.

Write about something you want to release.

Or something you have let go of.

What made it difficult to let go?

What gave you the courage to let go?

What changed afterward?

Letting go of . . .

Beliefs that don’t serve you

Expectations

Grudges

Habits that no longer serve you

Regrets

Relationships

Your breath

Your version of yourself

Bags

Documents

Grief

Keys

A grudge

A hope

A dream

A lucky charm

A worry

Heartbreak

Joy

Other people’s expectations

Regrets

Resentments

Choose one and Just Write. If there is time, pick another one and write.

Baskets

Bowls

Chests

Drawers

Garage                         

Glove compartment

Pouches

The best thing to eat or drink on a cold day.

The best thing to eat at a holiday table.

The best thing to eat on a picnic.

The best thing to eat on a long car ride

The best thing to eat late at night.

The best thing to eat when you want to eat something, but you are not hungry.

If you were a hairdresser, who would you want to sit in your swivel chair?

If you were a coach, who would you want on your team?

Who would you want to help you when you need help?

Who do you trust with your life?

Who do you want to spend more time with?

This current world is so far from certain, so far from being solid and tangible. I have been questioning reality in a way that I didn’t think was possible. Not in a Timothy Leary out of your skull on LSD questioning of reality, but more like a what-type-of-weird-perverted-telenovela has this world turned into?”

Excerpt from “Hot Mess,” by Brendan Farrell in the 2^nd edition of “Connections: Inspiration to Write.”

Writing Prompt: Write whatever comes up when you read this.

OR: What have I gotten myself into?

“Connections: Inspiration to Write” is available from your favorite bookseller or on Amazon, including Kindle Unlimited.

Years ago, I attended a workshop by Janis Bell and came away with these jewels that I never actually remember! But I have my notes to refer to.

Janis’s explanation:

“Lie” cannot have a person, place, or thing attached.

I lie on the couch to read.

“Lay” has a person, place, or thing attached:

Chickens lay eggs.

Another gem:

When to use “had.”

When the action is past, past tense. This is called past perfect verb tense.

“Had” is used to show that one past event happened before another past event.

For example:

I had phoned before I went to visit Susie.

“Had phoned” emphasizes what happened first.

Versus:

I phoned before I visited Susie.

Both happened in the past; the order is clear.

“Clean, Well-Lighted Sentences: A Guide to Avoiding the Most Common Errors in Grammar and Punctuation,” by Janis Bell.

From Janis’s website:

“This book is for people who know what they want to say but aren’t entirely confident in their way of putting it in print. It’s for those who want to write in a way that commands respect . . . a chance for people to create sentences they can be truly proud of.”

“Janis Bell, English professor and writing consultant . . . created this guide after teaching writing for more than three decades. She knows, by heart, the questions that students and businesspeople are inclined to ask. And she answers, from the heart, in ways that delight.”