Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Catalyst: A Memory that You Don't Remember

Your writing catalyst is to find a memory that you don’t remember. You’ve got plenty of memories that you replay over and over again in your mind. This time you’ll be fishing in your subconscious for a piece of the past that you don’t really remember.

Maybe you have only a tiny smidgen of it or the thinnest slice, but you’re going to hold on tight and pull the whole thing in.

It’s all there inside of you, only you don’t usually have free access. In relaxing and allowing things to float up without taking conscious control of their direction, you’ll be discovering something in the forgotten past.

You’ve already relaxed, but try relaxing even deeper. Let your mind float on the waters like a rudderless boat. Let your mind float to wherever the current moves it. You can trust and let go. Watch how an image from the past will slowly float up into view.

Like an iceberg, most of it is underwater. Get a sense of its size and shape. Now start writing by letting one word lead you to the next word.

You don’t know where you’re going, but the memory will take you where it needs to go. Be ready for surprises as your writing illuminates a piece of your past.