Creativity Exercise: Thursday's Child

In the classic children's poem, "Thursday's child has far to go."

Take out a clean sheet of paper. List seven places where Thursday's child is going. Give reasons, if you want, or just locations.

Remember, this is a creativity exercise: a location can be anything from a galaxy to a chair. You choose.

Creativity Tips: Hang Up and Walk

During my daily walks with JoJo the wonder dog, I frequently walk by VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE on their cell phones having VERY IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS.

It's ridiculous. We're so multi-task oriented, we're ruining one of the nicest events of the day. A leisurely stroll. An opportunity for creative rejuvenation. A chance to enjoy the sounds of kids swinging on the playground, leaves skittering on the sidewalk, dogs barking in the distance.

I am now taking a vow of silence. While walking. Alone. I am not that important, and my call is not that important. I can take 30 minutes to just walk. If you need me, leave a message. If I need you, I'll call when I get home.

Creativity Tips: Say No in November

My life is full. This is absolutely a good thing. It's also why I launched my own personal anti-holiday stress campaign last year: Say No in November.

Beginning now, I stop automatically saying, "Yes," to every job, every invite, and every volunteer request. I weigh my options, and choose carefully.

Writing the 50,000-word novel suggested in yesterday's post does not fall into the carefully chosen options. It might for you.

Or, if you're on overload now, join me! Use the campaign as a good excuse: No, I can't possibly chair that committe (attend that party, buy that gift, or work on your tedious project). I'm very, very busy with the Say No in November campaign.

It could catch on. Hmmm. SNIN isn't much of an acronym. Anyone got a better idea?

Creativity Exercise: NaNoWriMo

OK. "NaNoWriMo" has to be one of the worst smushed-up words/acronyms ever.

It stands for National Novel Writing Month. Participants are challenged to complete a 50,000-word novel during the month of November. You can gear up for it now. In Kansas City, The Writers Place will host a kick-off event Sunday, Oct. 26, from 6 - 10 p.m.

For CI team members outside KC, check out the NaNoWriMo site. I do like the approach. Here's a quote from the site:

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

I won't be participating. And I'll explain why. Tomorrow.

Friday Fun: Missionaries and Cannibals

Albert Einstein once said, "Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, and expecting different results."

Playing Missionaries and Cannibals reminds me of that. I seem to make the same moves, over and over again, as the cannibals feast. I hope you have better luck!

(If I'm right-brained, this must be a left-brained game.)

Creativity Exercise: What Is She Saying?

According to my daughter Kate's anthropology textbook, 60% of language is non-verbal.

So, in honor of the political season here in America, list five things people could be saying with a wink.

Share, if you want. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.)

Creativity Tips: Turn Things Around

Last week, I was eating at First Watch with my mom and sister Eva, and saw this -- the subhead is a great example of paying off an eye-catching, phrase-turning headline. It's hard to read with this pic from my cell phone, but it says, "Celebrating 25 years of putting you first."

I like it. And Eva had the great idea of using it as a post. You thank, Eva!