LELA House

Category: Writing Prep Menu

  • Fan + Breathing

    Fan + Breathing

    I turned on my fan, and I did my breathing exercises, and I wrote about 6 words – just one short sentence.

    And that is the most I’ve written in about the past month, so I’m calling it a win.

    Fan + Breathing gets a 12/10.

  • Prayer + Water

    Prayer + Water

    Prayer plus hydration wasn’t a bad way to begin my writing session. I was tired when I started and tired when I finished, but prayer and water sustained me. My writing output was low but my eventual determination to just sit down and right was pretty high.

    I give Prayer + Water 12/10.

  • List + Nothing

    List + Nothing

    So I just used the list option from my writing prep menu, and I didn’t pair it with a thing.

    In my mind, I thought the list would be something I would write to give me ideas for what to write, but as it turned out, my MC has a running list of things to consider before surviving an upcoming invasion. I’m growing more and more fascinated by her daily.

    So, I give List + Nothing 13/10.

  • Window + Write Someplace Different

    Window + Write Someplace Different

    Well, I recently sat in my living room and stared out of my window to prepare to write. The house next door is an Air BB (or some such), so a variety of people often mill about. Well, milling about this time was a shirtless guy loading up his car.

    And of course I realized I needed someone in my WIP to be shirtless. Of course.

    So I give today’s writing prep combination a 13/10. It pushed my creativity and upped my word count.

  • Breathing + Fan

    Breathing + Fan

    Well, I was feeling disgusted and busted. It had been a hard few days, and I wanted to curl into a ball and cry. My life is good, mind you, but I was feeling the weight of several things and felt ill-equipped for the tasks ahead of me. Including writing.

    Prior to my writing menu, I probably would’ve nurtured my funk, skipped writing, and then felt guilty for not writing. But that’s not what God wants for me, so He turned my attention to my writing menu, and I opted for my breathing app and a desk fan.

    My breathing app has background nature sounds, so that, combined with my desk fan, had me feeling like I was in a cool grotto, instead of the scorcher that was actually outside. I felt better through the sounds and sensation of a cool breeze, and my breathing exercise calmed me down.

    I approached my writing with a better mindset. And like I did previously, I wrote my disgusted and bustedness into my WIP. I did stop almost as soon as I reached my desired word count, but I reached my desired word count, which is a far cry from where I was before I turned on my app and fan.

    So I give Breathing + Fan 12/10.

  • Singing

    Singing

    Today I sang my heart out as my writing prep – hip hop, 90s R&B, movie soundtracks – you name it, I was belting it out. I felt so good and pumped and ready to take on the world that I figured I better sit down and write.

    My creativity flowed more than usual during today’s session, so I hit a word count I don’t normally see. AND we’re seeing the opening scene of a spiritual warfare battle royale. Woot woot!

    I give singing a 15/10!

  • Silly Putty + Journalist

    Silly Putty + Journalist

    I was not feeling writing, not at all, but I knew part of building my writing habit is to do it, even when I don’t feel like it. So I pulled out my writing prep menu and chose silly putty and journalist.

    I squeezed the putty while thinking about my journalism questions: who, what, where, when, why, and how. Then my hands started itching. I’m pretty sure I’m allergic to this putty.

    So I figured someone in my WIP could have an allergic reaction to something. I wouldn’t have thought of that if I hadn’t reacted to the putty. Nevertheless, I’m going to leave the putty alone from now on.

    I give this combo a 10/10.

  • Prayer + Smooth Stone

    Prayer + Smooth Stone

    For starters, my stone isn’t actually smooth. Well, not all smooth, anyway. It’s striated, and the striations, in addition to adding visual interest, feel like ridges as I rub the stone. I found this particular stone on a walk one day during my lunch break at work.

    A friend and I often went for walks over lunch. Our university was in an affluent neighborhood, and we enjoyed walking around, looking at the houses and the well-curated yards and gardens. My friend, from time to time, would stop to smell the proverbial roses, but I never did. I mean, I stopped. I didn’t leave her in the dust while I plodded ahead. I didn’t smell the roses, though. I didn’t feel it was prudent for my black female self to trespass and risk a deleterious outcome, just to smell some flowers, The day my friend asked me why I never smelled the flowers with her prompted a really good conversation. I think about that a lot.

    What I did do with my friend on our walks was collect nature’s artifacts – an enormous leaf, a twig with shedding bark, a striated stone. One of our students often laughed at us when we came back into the office showing off our newly collected pieces on our desks.

    I’ve had this stone going on about 10 years now, and as much as I’ve rubbed it, I’ve not rubbed away the striated ridges. Actually, I find the stone more and more appealing as time elapses, much like I continue to grow in appreciation of my friend who still adventures with me in nature.

    So the other day, I prayed and rubbed my stone as my writing prep. I found both activities calming and centering, and that peace reflected in through my writing. I wondered what my MC would do when facing stressful situations (and there are many in her tale). In essence, my prep work helped me dive into my MC’s personality in ways I hadn’t before. As it turns out, she likes to dance. Who’d’ve thunk?

    I give Prayer + Smooth Stone a 12/10.

    What has kickstarted your writing lately?

  • Character Art + Perfume

    Character Art + Perfume

    I tried pairing character art and perfume as my writing prep activities, and I was pleased.

    I wrote a little more than I did last time (slow and steady and all that, you know), but I included more sensory details than I typically do, so I was very excited about that.

    I give this combo a 12/10.