EXERCISE: What are you building?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting: Fri, 07 Mar 2003 23:37:20 -0500

I'm sure most of you know the story.  Basically, the man searching for a hired man walks onto a building site.  He approaches one workman, and asks what he's doing.  The workman looks up with a snarl, "I'm laying bricks, what's it look like?"  He shakes his head and walks on.

He approaches a second worker, and asks what he is doing.  This workman looks up, shakes the chalk line straight, and says, "I'm building a wall."  The man thanks him and walks on.

He approaches a third worker, and asks again.  This workman looks up with a smile, glances up at the clouds, and says, "I'm building a cathedral."  The man reaches down and shakes his hand, hiring him on the spot.

Variations of this story float around, but they all focus on the "mental game" being more important than the physical actions.

So, here's your tasks for today.

1.  Take the theme of this story, and re-cloth it for another venue.  For example, what would be the matching tasks and goal for the dress industry?  Sewing, making a dress, creating romance?  Pick an industry, lay out the tasks, and write it up.  (Bonus points for finding a magazine in that industry and selling them the story!)

2.  Reflect a bit on yourself.  When you write, are you pounding keys? Writing a book?  Or creating a cathedral?  What is your cathedral?

Write!

EXERCISE: Misreading frantically, he saw...

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting: Fri, 03 Nov 2000 12:09:37 -0500

well, to be accurate, it was not the reading, but the echo in the little frantic voice that said, "The Evil of the Pack." (note the background unheard music is playing "the leader of the pack" -- what do you mean, you've never heard of it?  Classic rock and roll!)

So, let's see -- take that phrase "The Evil of the Pack".

Make it a title?  Maybe the first line of a poem?  Last line?  A recurrent theme, wending its way through the midst of the battling words?

Do what you like, but write!