Last Wednesday I hosted my first (in a very long time) weeknight writing group, and the highlight exercise is what I'm offering up for The Writing Thing this week:
Write about things that make you want to scream.
If there's something specific that's been bugging you, write about that. If not, try making a list (the lawn guys didn't come again this week; is it just me, or are the mosquitoes particularly violent this year?; chaos in the new office; am i the only woman who doesn't like to go clothes shopping? ...) ... eventually you'll find something that's wanting a little more of your attention, so give that a little room to breathe.
Then, after you've been writing for a while, write: What I really want to say is ...
What I really want to say is ... is like offering your subconscious an invitation to get beyond surface annoyances and down to the thing you almost didn't know was itching to be let out (or that you were trying to keep down by just focusing on the surface stuff maybe?). Try What I really want to say is ... a few times as you're writing and see how far in you can get. Like the women who did this on Wednesday (myself included), you might surprise yourself when you see what's below the frustration with the office chaos and the missing clothes shopping gene. ;)
(hint: what i really want to say is ... is a helpful construct no matter what you're writing about. whether it's stuff that makes you want to scream, or if you're writing a report for work; a thank-you note; a blog post ... just get stuff out first, and then drop in what i really want to say is ... and see if that doesn't help you get clearer/deeper in your writing ...)
If you play/post on your blog, leave a link in the comments section; I'd love to see what you get. :)
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