arts. writing. culture.

I love creative writing.  I don’t mean “writing about creative things” like I do on this blog, which I also love doing—I mean “creative writing”: poetry, short stories, essays.  The problem is that I never find the time to do it.  And by that I mean that I don’t “make” the time.  I’m not disciplined enough and every time I finally sit down (usually at 3am), I can’t get my thoughts onto the page in any type of coherent manner.  (Unless I already had a burst of inspiration and am writing feverishly on a tissue/ receipt/ whatever’s around.)  Unless already inspired, I usually need one little push, a tiny little prompt, to open the floodgates and pour everything onto the page.

Enter: OneWord.com. This site is perfect for these types of nights or nights when I claim that I just don’t have the time.  Have 60 seconds?  Then I’ve got the time.

Here’s how it works: You go on the site, click “go” and the site provides you with a single word, a text box and a 60 second timer.  The rules are simple: Get as much out as you can in 60 seconds.  The point, for me, is that I don’t have time to think, only to write.  And I have no more excuses.

It reminds me of Writers’ Workshop class in high school.  Mrs. Calhoun used to make us write stream of conscious thoughts for several minutes without lifting the pen from the page.  Can’t think of anything to write?  Scribble until you can.  Or write “I can’t think of anything to write so I’m going to write about how I can’t think of anything to write…” until you do.  And it works.  Many times the repetitiveness of my written nonsense would even turn into a coherent and worthy poem.

My only complaint about OneWord.com is that the “word” is only changed every few days.  I’d love to make it a daily practice to write my 60-seconds every day.  And who knows?—maybe even more.  I think it’s about time I don’t leave it up to OneWord anymore and leave it up to myself.

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