For newer readers, here are some posts from a year ago.

Quick Steps

• Inspiration Tag #4 - July 31, 2006

Challenges

• Character Challenge: Character #3 - July 25, 2006

Why Be Creative?

• Creative People Make Us Crazy? We do? - July 31, 2006

The idea behind Break Away is to let your mind go and see if it will break away from your normal thought patterns.

The word is “Winter”

Here’s how it works:

1. Write the Break Away Word in the center of a paper (or if you’re lucky - a whiteboard).
2. Write/Draw the first thing that comes to mind when you look at the Break Away Word.
3. Write/Draw the next thing that comes to mind.
4. Continue the process for 10 minutes or until nothing new comes to mind

Let your pen or pencil find its own way, don’t try to force any associations into a pattern.

When you’re done, take a look at your paper/whiteboard. Where did you end up? Are there any connections that surprise you?

Here’s this week’s Say What?

“A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.”

–Baltasar Gracian

Let’s play a little name game
You can use any resource you have available to you - the internet, books, friends or strangers, your address book - whatever you need.

• List as many movies as you can with the word “Name” in their titles

Here’s an exercise to get your thoughts moving. Pick a number (it has to be equal to or greater than 5) and write down something having to do with Happiness that matches each number in quantity.

If you’d like to see an example, take a look at the Gratitude Countdown.

An inspiration tag is just a phrase or two meant to give you a jumpstart on your creative expression. So read the tag below and interpret it in a creative way. There are no limitations on the medium. In fact we’d love to see a visual or listen to an audio interpretation. Admittedly, some of the tags will lend themselves more to a written format than any other.

So here it is - Tag! You’re It! Have fun!

? The flames of passion could create . . . or destroy.

For newer readers, here are some posts from a year ago.

Quick Steps

• Inspiration Tag 3 - July 18, 2006
• Say What? Take 3 - July 19, 2006

Challenges

• Character Challenge Index - July 18, 2006

Why be Creative?

• ? Are You Friends with your Creativity? - July 24, 2006

The idea behind Break Away is to let your mind go and see if it will break away from your normal thought patterns.

The word is “Smart”

Here’s how it works:

1. Write the Break Away Word in the center of a paper (or if you’re lucky - a whiteboard).
2. Write/Draw the first thing that comes to mind when you look at the Break Away Word.
3. Write/Draw the next thing that comes to mind.
4. Continue the process for 10 minutes or until nothing new comes to mind

Let your pen or pencil find its own way, don’t try to force any associations into a pattern.

When you’re done, take a look at your paper/whiteboard. Where did you end up? Are there any connections that surprise you?

Here’s this week’s Say What?

“I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.”

–Augusten Burroughs

We all have grandiose ideas for the next best seller.? However big those ideas are sometimes they just need a kick start.? Sometimes there’s no great thing lurking in the shadows screaming “Write me!” but instead just a short simple scene that plays in the mind.? The idea behind flash fiction is to write something out using only so many words.? We frequent 55fiction and even though we haven’t posted there, we enjoy reading the work.? If you visit their site you can see that some of the pieces there are nothing but a 55 word stories while others may elaborate on each short piece.

So here’s the challenge: 70 word fiction in a flash. True, that’s only 15 more words than what you see at 55fiction so make those 15 words profound and eye opening. You never know what you might scratch out of your head.
Anyone interested in adding their own work can do so in the comment section.? We look forward to seeing what each and every creative mind can come up with.? The requirements are simple, all we ask for is a plot in only 70 words that includes the item below, no more no less.? And believe me, that’s not as easy as it sounds.
Here are your items:? fresh-ground coffee and the clock striking midnight