Creative Calisthenics

By: Christine Krug

Ever had a brain attack? Thinking too much can choke out new ideas and gag your creative voice. Here are some exercises to catapult your out of the cerebral.

The Translated Poem

Locate a poem written in a language you don’t know “ Translate” the poem, surrendering to impressions and images that suggest themselves. Your creative mind will from fresh associations and zany patterns.

Primer/ Kinderspeak

Select a dull paragraph. Render it into “ Dick and Jane”, or rewrite it for a small child. Let simple language unveil fresh images.

Heretoforespeak

Take a sentence of your own and double the worlds without adding meaning. Add useless legal and academic words with multisyllables. Read, laugh and move into a free spirit. Read, laugh and move into a freer spirit.

Oogabooga

This time, take your piece and turn it into ape-man-speak. Think big, dumb, caveman. Have fun and allow ideas to emerge. You just may surprise yourself.

Hothead

Mull over pet peeves and grievances until you’re steaming. Write a nasty, hate-filled letter about what makes you most angry. When your emotions have thoroughly steam-rolled your powers of analysis, move on to other writing.

No Argument Here

Match your writing t your brain problem. Is cogitation making your writing boring? Write a page as boring as you can. Is your brain nagging you about being too sentimental? Get mushy and melodramatic. Play up the flaw that’s bugging you. Cut loose and find the loopholes.

The Speedwrite

Ste a kitchen timer for IO minutes. The only rules that you write, and keep writing, fast and furious, with out regard to sense, spelling, neatness or punctuation. If you’re stuck, start with this prompt: I know this is crazy, but….

The Alien Space

Surprise your brain into submission by writing in an unfamiliar place. Scrunch up in kitchen cupboard, sit in a tree, perch on a washing machine, or recline on a sauna bench at the health club. Drive to a railroad, waterfront or airstrip. Write from the back seat of your car.

The Grocery List

Catch inspiration where you’d least expect it. Write a poem, each line containing an item from your grocery list. Next, grab your chore list, wish list, invitation list, and honey-do list or last year’s Christmas list. Try a short story with the first sentences of each paragraph naming an item or person from the list lineup.

Oddball Hard Copy

Forget the logical white page. Write on colored paper cut into odd shapes. Covers a shoebox with wrapping paper and write on the top bottom and sides.