Fun with Quotes and Six-Word Memoirs(R)

From Kate's Writing Crate...

          Inspiration can come from anywhere, but it is also smart to have inspirational things around you in your Writer's Crate. Cheryl has a vision board with quotes and photographs that works for her. I have my Common Books, these are journals filled with quotes I have copied from favorite books, articles, even TV shows--especially Charlie Rose where so many fascinating authors are interviewed.

          I use those beautiful hardcover journals sold in gift shops and bookstores. Sometimes I buy them, but, usually they are given to me for birthdays and holidays.

          In journals with lines on the pages, I print out the quotes by hand using my trusty Pilot V Ball blue pen with a fine nib. I keep the current journal where I read so I can copy down new quotes that inspire me immediately.

          For the journals with blank pages, I am more creative. I type the quotes on my computer using different fonts, print them, cut them out, and rubber glue them on the pages along with pictures and artwork that appeal to me. I also cut strips of pretty gift wrapping paper to make frames for some of the quotes and use stickers to highlight others.

          It's fun and soothing to do this, sort of scrapbooking for writers. It's also a reminder of how creative you can be given some time and space.

          Both journal types inspire me. Just depends on my mood which one I read. The important thing is to get inspired.

          I do have a third type of journal based on the book Not Quite What I Was Planning, Revised and Expanded Deluxe Edition, Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure edited by Larry Smith, Founding Editor of Smith Magazine.

          If you can't think of anything to write on a given day, write about you or your life using only six words. I know it doesn't sound like you can say a lot, but you really can. For examples, visit www.smithmag.net, home of the Six-Word Memoir(R) project.


          The genre has become so popular, there are three more books available: It All Changed In An Instant More Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure; I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure; and Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak by Writers Famous and Obscure all edited by Larry Smith.

          I have shared this tip with all the writers I know. It's addictive and, best of all, it gets you writing. Some of my friends and co-workers now make sure to include Six-Word Memoirs(R) in conversations and emails. It's also a wonderful exercise for people of almost any age to engage in while sitting around the dinner table, during long car trips, or just to sum up relationships or situations at work.

          It's essential to provide yourself with inspiration so you can stay at your desk--or wherever you write--until you have finished your project or met your daily goals. That's how your writing dreams come true.


What inspiring items surround you when you are writing?

Have you tried writing Six-Word Memoirs(R)?