In Creative Stretch #6: Ignoring the Forest to See a Tree, the writing task was to “focus the lens of your creative eye to zoom in on a minute portion of this world, then give it light and life through your creative touch.” My creative lens has been stuck on…
We’re a think-outside-of-the-box society. It’s all about the big picture. It’s considered detrimental if you can’t see the forest for the trees. Inside-the-box-thinking, small picture living, and tree observation supposedly get you nowhere. I beg to differ. Many are the treasures to be found in small places, in common places,…
Even with three writing topics to choose from, this writer is having difficulty writing. It should have been easy: Choose one of the writing prompts (courtesy of Creative Stretch #5) and write for 15 minutes. My problem is that I want every entry to be spectacular . . . and…
You’ve heard it before: Writers write—always. This adage can either inspire or haunt. I think writers find it mostly haunting, for the very thing that writers love is the very thing that we find difficult to do. (Do I hear any amens?) Sometimes we writers need a little nudge. Sometimes…
As I sit waiting upon God, I wonder if He sees me as a reporter: Pen poised over paper, anticipating His next word, waiting for Him to breathe or move or do anything recognizably divine . . . so that I might complete my written account and submit my work…
When was the last time you rested in utter silence—and enjoyed it? Silence is rare in our day. Our media-saturated culture allows us to go from one event and distraction to the next with little silence to be had. Even in our resting, we tend to have background noise to…
Metaphor catching isn’t easy. They can be sneaky, tough to follow. But that was the task before us in Creative Stretch #3. So I grabbed my gear and got my hunting tools ready. First, you have to know what you’re looking for. So I kept my mind fixed upon the…
Many times I have had the pleasant surprise of experiencing God’s nearness when I haven’t really been looking for Him. He crashes through my toughened senses to capture my attention in some unexpected way—perhaps the way the sun is breaking through the clouds or the way geese land upon the…
The idea for Creative Stretch #2 came about backwards: I found myself inspired by chapter 1 of Luci Shaw’s Breath for the Bones, which resulted in a free-form prose; then I realized it would be a perfect creative stretch example, so I wrote the exercise based on what I already…
Art speaks to each person differently. As the hearer (observer, receiver), I love that. My interpretation, my emotions, my thoughts are my own, never wrong when it comes to hearing what art has to say to me. I lean closer, take more time, giving art time to express itself. But…
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