Pick a random object and write for 10 minutes: coffee cup
Buzz goes the grinder with a push of my fingertip on the small round start button. Clink goes the coffee cups as I grab two off the walnut shelf above me. Click goes the kettle when the water has boiled. Shaking the perfectly ground earthy-smelling beans into the shiny, silver French press, I begin to salivate anticipating that hot, dark brew in my mouth. Beep goes the kitchen timer. Five minutes for a strong, bold brew. I pour the remaining water from the kettle into the cold coffee cups. Tick. Tock. I can hardly wait. Beep. It’s time. Push the plunger down, slowly. Splash. I toss out the water warming the cups. Trickle. Trickle. From top of spout to bottom of cup. A perfect pour.
This exercise is from the book Writing Better Lyrics (Second Edition): The Essential Guide to Powerful Songwriting by Pat Pattison. I highly recommend it if you’re wanting to improve your songwriting.
I also just finished reading Chapter 1: The Art of the Diver.
Today, I read about the idea of Group Writing in person or online. The book suggests that the group writes for 5 minutes in Round 1, then everyone reads aloud to share. Then another 5 minutes in Round 2, then 10 minutes for Round 3, and a super quick 90-second Round 4. After 4 rounds, you will have certainly been challenged to dive deeper in your writing about the object.
If participating a group like this sounds fun, you might be interested in joining the Creative Comeback Club, a place to rekindle your spark one week at a time in a supportive community.
This chapter closes with a recommendation for another book to expand your writing. Andrea Stople’s book Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling helps you add “telling” or “storytelling” to your writing.
If you’d like more creativity in your life, check out my next workshop The Artist’s Way for 50 and Beyond. It’s a 12-week guided workshop to reignite your creativity later in life because it’s never too late to create!