Take it all and now we make something!

The following process is not just for poetry or flash or any of the other cool ways to express yourself. This process will help you compose ANYTHING. It will help you think an idea through (and that is what we are here to do, yes?)

Okay, here we go: 

1. Take a look at all of what you puked. (You were to take a couple of the questions that spoke to you and write about them.) 

2. Now make a list for each question of 5 things you noticed when you puked. Choose some key phrases and ideas that stick out to you. Don't be afraid - you can't do this incorrectly. 

3. Are there any connections between them? Do any of the same things show up on both lists? What sticks out to you? Let the lists inform each other. Is there anything you want to add to either list now that you have both of them in front of you? Feel free to draw lines between the two lists to connect anything that feels related. Make additional notes if you want. If something sparks a new idea in you, write it down. There’s no right or wrong way to do this! 

Just let yourself play with the lists.

Now it is time to mind shower!

1. Look at the lists and find a single moment that speaks to you or a scene within that moment that seems to cross lists. 

2.   Now get specific. Think in terms of photography or movies. We started with a wide-angled shot of a general event or experience. Then we panned around to see all of the stuff that made up that experience. Now we're going to narrow the shot, focus the lens, and sketch in the details of one scene.

     2.1 mindmap the physical details of your moment. Be as specific. Let your mind roam.

• Senses: Engage your five senses in the memory of this moment. What do you see? Hear? Smell? Taste? Touch? Write down what your senses encounter in this moment.
• Objects: What objects are in this scene? Look around your memory and write down what you see there. Notice which items feel most important to you, even if you don't know why.
• People: Are you alone in this moment? If not, who else is there? Are there people who are important to the moment who aren't in the scene?
• Action: What is happening in this moment? Are you doing something? Are you moving or still? Are you standing or sitting? What is happening around you? Are other people moving? Is there traffic or wind in the trees? 
• Dialogue: Is anyone in this moment talking? What snippets of conversation can you remember? What words do you overhear?

3. Set aside your list of physical details for a few minutes, and spend about five minutes free-writing about the following questions. (You can write in whole sentences if you wish, or you can stick with making a list or mindmap of words and phrases.) Use a clean sheet of paper.

Here are some questions to consider as you explore your thoughts and feelings about this moment:

• What does this moment mean to you?
• Why is it important?
• What makes it matter or gives it significance?
• How did you feel in this moment? How do you feel about it now?
• What did you think back then? What do you think now?

(Your thoughts and feelings may be the same now and then, or they be different.)

Here are some opening phrases that you could use as prompts to help you explore your inner world of this moment:

• This scene makes me feel....
• This moment makes me think....
• When I remember all of this, I feel...
• When I remember all of this, I think...
• When I remember all of this, I wonder....

(It’s okay to write down questions or things you wonder about.)