The one habit that always saves me

I'm going to admit a fault to you guys:

Sometimes, I doubt God.

Yes, even me. This little girl who has seen miracle after miracle, been supernaturally provided for time after time, seen healing only God could pull off again and again; I doubt God sometimes. The great thing is, God's self confidence isn't altered by me doubting him.

When you own a business, there are times in the month when you're not sure how things are going to work out. Checks don't always come in on the days you want them to and it can really make you want to pull your hair out! You watch the bank account full of last month's profits dwindle and - if you're like me - you start having some conversations with God.

"God, why? Why are you testing us like this?"
And the Holy Spirit says "Have faith."

"God, you provided for us that time, and that time, and that time. Why doesn't it look like you're going to do it this time?"
And the Holy Spirit says "Be patient."

"God! I demand to have an answer from you! You promised us abundance and that sure wasn't what this is!"
In the back of my head, I hear God chuckle. And the Holy Spirit says "Trust."

"Okay, God. We're doing the work. We love the people around us, and we're doing the work. We're not the slackers here...your turn!"
And the Holy Spirit says "Be thankful."

Wait...what?

Be...thankful?

But this situation! This awful, painful, stressful situation over here! This one, right here, where I don't know with absolute certainty that we're going to make our bills this month. This one, right in my face, that tells me things are going wrong. This one, where somehow we're doing the work and things aren't working out in my timing! Fix this, and then I can be thankful!

And I imagine the Holy Spirit sighs. "Hasn't God provided for you before," he asks. "Hasn't he always provided for you? What reason do you have to believe that this time is any different? Be patient, child. Have faith, trust God, and be thankful."

So, I stop. I've learned, finally, that when the Holy Spirit repeats himself it's time to stop what you've been doing. I should probably learn to stop the first time, but I'm just here for now.


I stop, and I look around me. I look out at the beautiful view I have just outside my window...every morning. The sun rises and hits the trees and the little valley I can see from my porch and everything lights up in response. All of the colors become richer and more vibrant. From my porch I can watch the clouds get their golden lining, watch daylight burst through a crack in the rainstorm...just for a little moment. But that moment is long enough. It's so beautiful, so perfect...and it's right here. I don't even have to leave my house or put real clothes on to see. God set it on my doorstep.

I close my eyes, and I listen. Birds are always singing here. It doesn't matter if you can see the sun or not, if it's rainy or clear, hot or cold. The birds always sing. Their song is joyous and, if I let it, it lifts my spirit.

Driven by the beauty around me I start to think of the other things I have to be thankful for, like the wonderful husband God has given me, and the beautiful home we live in, and the chance to impact all of the lives we touch. I start to thank God for every blessing that comes to mind until too many of them are reaching me at once and I must fall into silence, allowing my soul to reach out in worship.

A very wise woman whom I admire greatly once told me that worship unlocks doors. Worship is the key that opens the doors to rooms full of God's blessings; full of things he wants to give you, but that you might be holding the door firmly closed on by complaining and doubting.

She also said that God made us, so he isn't frightened or intimidated by our human-ness and emotions. And it's a good thing, too! Because mere moments before I reached a state of worship, I was complaining. I was even angry! I had forgotten that I serve a God I can rely on. That my God is all powerful and very much alive and actually loves me, and that means that his blessings will always meet and exceed my needs. This girl, who has seen the hand of God so many times, forgot.

And then I remembered. That's an amazing thing about the Holy Spirit. You can forget sometimes, as a human, just how powerful God is. And then the Holy Spirit will remind you.

The amazing thing is how often I find myself coming out of that place of worship with new confidence. I may have doubted God a moment ago. I may have not been sure just a minute before. But now I know. Now I can confidently thank him for blessings that are already on the way, even if I can't see it. Because I've been reminded of who my God is. He can work the universe to give me assurance that the sun will rise and shed light on the world every morning!

I don't know if you've ever tried to direct the cosmos, but I imagine it's quite a feat!

The Holy Spirit reminds me of who God is, and my conversation changes. I start thanking God for providing in the past, and for having already sent the provision for today and tomorrow and even months ahead of time.

You see, I come out of that place of thankful worship and I am at peace. Finally. When I walk into God's presence sometimes I forget to be at peace. I forget what it was like as a child to trust that Daddy's going to take care of things, to just know that even if it looks upsetting right now, I can just go find Daddy because Daddy will fix it. I forget that God is my Daddy, and just like a toddler girl, I can go sit in his lap when I'm worried or scared, and he will fix it. I forget that I'm not alone, and expected to shoulder everything on my own.



Sometimes, when I walk into God's presence, I have forgotten who he is.

But here's a credit to my parents: Somehow, I always know to go looking for him.

Even if I've forgotten who he is. Even if I've forgotten that I have no reason to believe he would leave me stranded this time. Even if I'm angry, and scared, and overwhelmed, even if I've been running away and trying to handle the world all on my own...I always know, somehow, to go back to the presence of God. Because in my parents' house, that's what we did.

The bible says "Train a child up in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." And it's right! Because habits, especially the habits you develop as a child, are hard to break! Frequently we don't even realize that it is a habit. It's just something we do.

Because of the way my parents taught me, because every problem was brought to God and set - or sometimes thrown - into his hands, I have that habit. No matter how angry I am or how much I've been doubting, I have the habit of always coming back to God's presence.

I will admit, sometimes, it's to yell at him. Sometimes I come into God's presence with my guns blazing, ready to hurt someone if I don't get my way. But the amazing thing about God is that he's ok with that. If you can't come to him any other way right now, he's ok with you as you are. He wants you to learn and grow but you're not going to get turned away at the door to the throne room just because you're angry, or sad, or hurting. God doesn't hide from the unpleasant side of humanity's emotions.

Yes, sometimes I doubt God. But I am blessed in that the Holy Spirit is always there to remind me of the path to the throne room. I can enter God's presence any time, and there's something about entering the presence of the Almighty Creator of the Universe and Savior of Mankind that just puts you in awe. From that place of reverence I can be receptive to God's pouring into me. I may forget who God is but all I have to do in order to remember is look out my window. Or close my eyes and listen. And then, when I leave his presence, I am changed. I know things will work out, I'm not worried or concerned anymore.

When I walk out of God's presence, I am like a child. Children are so carefree. They play and laugh and can easily be themselves because they don't worry about whether their needs are met. They know with absolute confidence, the kind of confidence that makes you not even think about it, that they will be taken care of.


I leave God's presence like a child. And as soon as I've stopped worrying about the results and trying to make things happen in my own timing, everything falls into place. Health problems are resolved, checks come in on time, even whatever squabbles I've had with the people around me find resolution.

Everything in my life has a tendency to fall into place when I start trusting God again, when I remember who he is. Because I have let go, and decided to trust the God who designed the ground I stand on and the beauty I'm surrounded by and even my own brain. I've decided to trust that if he can do all that, he can probably handle whatever it is I'm going through. And when I decide that, things get handled more beautifully than I could have asked for.

And that, my friends, is very good.

I feel amazing!

Since starting to work with the Nutrilite weight loss system, I've talked about it a lot. I love the 4-3-2-1 workouts. I love the BodyKey shakes because they taste so good and don't require a blender to come out smooth. I love the appetite suppressant chews because they actually work. I love the supplements because (let's say it together) they actually work. All around, I *love* the products that Nutrilite has put out to help people attain and maintain their ideal healthy body. 

Now let me take a moment and tell you about it just a little more. Because I'm so excited that I can't just not talk about it. I've talked about technical stuff and scientific stuff and all of the *features* of these fantastic helpers. Now, let me tell you about the *benefit*

I feel amazing! Really and truly, I feel amazing.

Before starting BodyKey I was stuck in a rather deep depression. I hated myself. I hated the way that I looked, to the point that I couldn't stand being around a mirror and would even specifically avoid my bathroom mirror (which takes a lot of effort, that thing covers the whole wall). I hated the way that I felt, hated that the slightest bit of exertion wiped my energy levels and left me not just panting, but often dry-heaving because I couldn't catch my breath. I hated that my weight gain had finally progressed to my face, which is the last place I tend to put it on. I hated that I couldn't fit my arms into the sleeves of most shirts anymore, that I looked like a tired and lazy mother of four instead of the vibrant 21 year old I want to be. I hated everything about my appearance, and most days I hated myself altogether. 

I was stuck. I was so filled with self-loathing that it had been spilling out and causing me to nitpick my husband and fight with him constantly. And I felt like I had no options. 

Sure, everybody says diet and exercise. What they don't say is how to motivate yourself to work in exercise when heaving your body mass off the couch feels like a monstrous task.Or how to eat healthy when it's faster, easier, and more comforting to head to the freezer isle or McDonalds. Or how to make new friends in this process, because your fat friends are probably going to goad you into eating but you don't have the self confidence to be the fat friend of the skinny girls for even a day, much less however long it's going to take you to lose the weight and size and tone that skin back into place. 

They don't tell you how to choose what diet and exercise plan to use. Or how to tell if it's actually working and this is normal initial weight gain because you've built muscle, or if it's going to be yet another 50 pounds if you keep this up. They don't tell you how to find who to trust. They don't mention that if you ask for help from your runner friend or your trainer friend or that one friend you have who works out like a fiend, you're going to end up hurting yourself because they don't know or understand the limitations of your body well enough to be able to actually help you. So you'll watch them on that treadmill at level 19 and feel horrible that you're winded at level one. And so you'll quit. 

The thing is, losing weight and size in modern society can be very hard! It can be so emotionally challenging and even damaging if you trust the wrong people or program. It's easy to say "diet and exercise." It's easy to say that you can exercise anywhere, but it's not easy to do it!

I'd tried everything, and I felt so stuck. I was steadily gaining more and more weight and though God gave me the mercy to carry it well so nobody would ever guess it was there, I knew. I knew when I looked at myself in the mirror and thought "time for new clothes again. I've gone up a size." I knew when I tried to find a new dress to wear for Valentines day, and not even the plus size stores had anything in stock. I knew when my doctor gave me that look that said "we aren't here to talk about your weight but if this keeps up we will be."

I knew, every moment of every day, and it was killing my spirit. I had tried everything, but I was still desperate and so I was still willing to try one more thing. 

Enter BodyKey. 

BodyKey is the newest program designed by Nutrilite. Each component comes with the scientific backing that all of the Nutrilite products do, and some phenomenal results that came out of the research phase. BodyKey is different because instead of being designed around what works for one person's body like the system my gym sells, it's designed around *your* body, around *my* body. The pieces are all designed individually around what worked for the majority of their testing group, and then the genetic test tells you how to fit the pieces together to create the picture of fitness and health that's going to work best for your specific genetic code. This isn't the Subway diet or the Cabbage Cleanse. This is real science finding the real solution that's going to really work for you. 

And boy has it! 

I'm a busy person and as much as I do love my 4-3-2-1 workouts, there are mornings I have to pop out of bed, throw on clothes and eyeliner, and leave to make a meeting. There are days when I honestly don't have 20 minutes to spare, especially not if that 20 minutes is going to make me sweat. 

Despite this, I'm slimming down! Using the genetic test results I've paired the products that are going to optimize my results, and *they really have!* Even without consistent exercise, everybody - even the cashier at Rite Aid - is starting to notice the difference! Just barely one month in I've already gone from almost not fitting my fat fat clothes (the ones you wear when you've grown out of your fat clothes), to fitting back into some of the beautiful clothes I got two shopping trips ago and having them actually be comfortable! 

The results are amazing. My arms are fitting into sleeves better, my stretchy waistband pants aren't having to stretch so much, and I don't have to do that weird thing to my shirt where I stick my elbows in the bottom to make it stretch out! I've regained a bit of mobility because of the size loss I've experienced so far. I can actually make it up a flight of stairs and not almost die at the top! I put my hands on my hips the other day, and spend about ten minutes astonished that they were so much farther in than they had been a few weeks ago. I'm still pretty far from where I want to be, but I can *see* and *feel* the progress, and that's more than I've ever been able to say before. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention, my roommate works at Pizza Hut and is addicted to french fries, so I still eat crap for dinner most nights.

Let me say that again: I eat pizza or hamburgers and fries for dinner almost every night. Ice cream is usually also involved. AND I'M STILL SLIMMING DOWN FASTER THAN EVER BEFORE. It makes me *Want* to eat healthy and work out more - just to see what happens!

The progress has pulled me out of my funk. I'm feeling better about myself as a person, which is making me more able to be a nice person (go figure) and not pick fights with my husband. 

Read: The results I'm experiencing with the BodyKey program are improving my life all around. My marriage is better, my interactions with other people - whether I know them or not - are better. 

I CAN LOOK IN A MIRROR NOW! I still see a spare tire, sure. I still notice where more needs to be gotten rid of. But I feel like it's possible now. I don't feel stuck. 

In short, I have hope. 

And I wanted to share that with you because hope is a very hard thing to find these days, especially when we're talking about weight loss in the world of fast food and gluttony. I'm feeling truly amazing, because I'm making such amazing progress, and I know it's only going to get better. 

And that, my friends, is cool.

Exhausted

We've all been there. You've been going, going, going for days, weeks, maybe even months now. Work is demanding, the kids are demanding, your spouse is demanding, even your mother is demanding, and on top of it all you haven't been sleeping well. Coffee doesn't work anymore. Those gross energy drinks with unhealthy amounts of things you can't pronounce anyway are just barely keeping your eyelids open. You're bone tired, so tired you're not sure you can even fall asleep. That just might take too much effort. At some point your body became ten times heavier than it used to be and even blinking wears you out.

You're exhausted. You know it, everybody else probably knows it, though they don't seem to care.

All you want in life, all you can think about, is a little rest. Just a little. 30 minutes of peace and quiet and maybe even sleep would be a miracle.

In most of our adult lives, this seems to be a magic point. It's when we're feeling like this that the kids all get the flu at once, or the dog eats something weird and needs surgery, or your spouse starts having a nervous breakdown, or your boss decides to fire two people and make you do their jobs in addition to yours. It's at this point, when you're so worn down that you don't even have the energy to be mad about your boss being a jerk, that everyone wants more from you.

I learned something surprising today:

Jesus had that too.

In Mark we see something very important that I think most of us miss. Take a look at the story of the woman who bled for 12 years. Mark 5: 21-34. Read it, right now.

If you've spent time in church you probably know this story. It doesn't take long before someone brings it up. Jesus is on his way to help a guy whose kid is dying, and there's the woman in the crowd. She's been bleeding for 12 years. She's spent all of her money on doctors that put her through painful procedures and all of it has only made the problem worse. At this point, she's probably homeless. She's probably on that road because that's where she lives. She's in tremendous amounts of pain and has probably wished for death a couple of times, but instead she just keeps bleeding.

Then she sees Jesus.

She's heard the stories. This guy is pretty amazing. He heals people, casts out demons, does and says things the priests have never done or said, and all of it resonates with truth and power. He's big, he's powerful, he's important. She really doesn't want to bother him but as she thinks about it she realizes that with that much power, she won't need to bother him. If she can just get a finger on the very edge of his jacket, she'll be ok.

So weak, in pain, and desperate, she pushes through the crowd. She probably fell once or twice, but she made it to just behind this wonderful man named Jesus. She reaches out, touches his coat, and is healed instantly.

Here's the part we seem to miss: Jesus felt it.

In a crowded street, with tons of people reaching for him and grabbing at him and asking him to help them, he felt the one woman who reached out one finger to touch the very very edge of his cloak to be healed.

This tells us that it took A LOT of energy for Jesus to heal someone. A ton. He could feel that tiny bit of healing power leave his body because even that tiny bit was a lot. It took massive amounts of energy for Jesus to heal all of the people he did on a daily basis.

Let's skip a little bit, over to Mark 6:30-34.

At this point, Jesus has been going for a while with no rest. He's been traveling, and healing, and teaching, and casting out demons, and healing some more. His workload got so huge that he sent his disciples out to do some of it! They return to him, and all 13 of them are...

Exhausted.

The bible says they hadn't even had time to eat because of all the coming and going (traveling, healing, casting out demons, dealing with the ridicule of the priests). So Jesus looks around, says "we're all exhausted, let's go someplace quiet so we can have dinner and get some rest."

So they climb in a boat and head across the lake. They're probably really looking forward to this. It's been a long couple of weeks. They've been going, going, going. Now they're finally going to get to eat something and sleep. Awesome!

Except someone saw Jesus get in the boat, and figured out that he was going to the other side of the lake. So they gathered the people in their city and they ran *around* the lake, and got to the other side first. As they were headed to the other side of the lake, people in other cities have asked "What are you doing?" " We're going to see Jesus," they answered. "He's going to the other side of the lake." With this news these other people also start running. They don't bring any food with them, they just run to the other side of the lake, desperate to be where Jesus is.

So Jesus and the 12 disciples, all exhausted and looking forward to dinner and sleep, get to the other side of the lake. This is supposed to be someplace quiet and serene, someplace they won't be bothered. Instead they're greeted by a mob. 5,000 men, uncounted numbers of women and children.

Just like us, Jesus got exhausted. Just like us, he tried to break away and people kept making demands on his time and energy, probably not even realizing what it took for him to give that to them.

How many times do we hit that place and get angry? How many times to we hit absolute exhaustion, and then boil because the kids just won't stop fighting and whining about how hungry they are?

Jesus got to the other side of the lake, to the place that was supposed to be restful and instead was filled with more work, and he decided not to get angry. He looked at the people, and saw that they were there because they were completely without guidance. "Like sheep without a shepherd" the bible says. That means that they were wandering around, lost, and probably very scared. He looked at the crowds making demands on him and his already exhausted disciples, and he felt warmth and kindness in his heart (compassion) toward them. Instead of getting mad, instead of lecturing them about giving him space or sighing about how he never had time to rest, instead of complaining that he hadn't even eaten yet, he gathered a supernatural amount of energy and started serving them.

I was struck by this today, as I was reading it. Because I don't have anything in my life that demands so much power from me I can instantly feel when the slightest bit of it is gone. I have normal life stuff, like dishes and making dinner and the people we mentor and our IT business and sometimes a sick husband. Yet I get exhausted and then mad. I get to that point where I'm sitting on the couch wondering if I have enough energy to even sleep, and someone asks me for one more thing, and I fly off the handle.

But I don't have to. That's why I was so struck by this today. Jesus was human. The only thing he had that nobody else did at that point was the Holy Spirit - which we now have! So if human Jesus, who was in a time where they walked everywhere, in a region where it was always very hot, can do all of these amazing things that required so much energy from him *and still find more energy for the people who need him,* then I can handle my life. I can handle my dishes and laundry and sick husband.

I always thought exhaustion was something Jesus didn't understand. But he did, more than any of us could. And if he can get through that level of exhaustion, expending that much energy, because of the holy spirit...then so can we.

Writing prompt 5

She woke shivering, in the dark of night. Her bleary eyes focused and unfocused and focused on the digital clock. 1:45am. Shoot. Too early to be awake for the day. So why was she? And why was she so cold?

She reached to pull the blanket over her shoulder only to come up with nothing. Where were the covers?

She sat up, glanced around...and saw her husband. Her darling husband of just three days, wrapped in the blankets like a mummy. She poked at the bundle, shook it a little...Nothing.

"Hey honey?"

Nothing.

"Sweetheart?"

Nothing again. She tried reaching into the pile and stroking the beautiful brown hair. Stroke. Stroke. "Honey?"

A grunt! That was progress! She tried shaking again, this time a little harder. "Baby, can I have some covers?"

"Unh. Mine."

How...

Adorable? Was that adorable? They *were* on their honeymoon...She'd go with adorable. It was too early for annoying anyway.

Poke.

Shake.

Poke.

"Babe, really, I need blankets. It's...kindof freaking cold."

The mummy roll got tighter. Really? She glanced at the clock and groaned. 2am. She should be asleep. and warm. At this rate she'd never get any blankets.

"OK, Francie," she sighed, "time to get a little more determined."

She reached over and tapped on his head. Tap. Tap

Thwack!

For a moment, she didn't feel anything. He'd actually punched her? He'd...actually...punched her. In his sleep. "That's it, jerkface! Give me blankets. Now!" She yanked and tugged and punched until she had enough blankets to barely cover herself. She was finally starting to fall asleep when she felt him cuddling in.

Cuddle. Cuddle. Push. Shove. Readjust. Cuddle.

And...now she was on the edge of the bed. The very edge. Drat. She opened one eye to look at the clock again. 2:45. Great. At this rate, they'd - well, she'd - never get any sleep.

Options. What are my options?

Shove. Shove. Nothing.

Maybe...kick in the shins? She tried a light one and he moved a little. Maybe that could work. She grimaced and then kicked him hard. He groaned, shifted, rolled...

And was back to being a mummy.

3am. For crying out loud.

"That's enough. Enough." She grabbed her pillow and headed to the other room of their suite. She'd sleep on the couch, under his coat if she had to. They had a lifetime, after all. They could work out the blankets thing later.

Is it really losing?

The best and most challenging song I've heard in a long time is called "Losing" by Tenth Avenue North. It's all about forgiveness, which has not historically been my strong suit. They hit the nail on the head with their lyrics, talking about how we feel we have a right to our pain and we tend to think that if we just hold on to it long enough then maybe the other person will recognize that they're in the wrong. The particular line that always hits me is "We think pain's owed apologies and then it will stop, but truth be told it doesn't matter if they're sorry or not. Freedom comes when we surrender to the sound of God's mercy and his grace"

Too many times over the years I've found myself holding on to hurt, demanding an apology like that's going to make it stop hurting. But the truth is, that's not how it works. It stops hurting when you decide to stop letting it hurt you. For a while I wouldn't even listen to this song when it came on the radio, I'd turn off the radio instead! It was so hard for me to accept the fact that I wasn't gaining anything - and the people who hurt me aren't losing anything - when I was holding on to the past.

Maybe you don't struggle with forgiveness like I do. I know people who you could stab in the gut and ten seconds later they wouldn't be mad anymore. They probably won't let you come that close with a knife again, but they're not mad. I have to teach myself to be that way, because my natural inclination is to hold on to that pain, remind them of it every time I see them, remind myself of it every day, and all in hopes that this will somehow bring them their just reward.

I guess I was missing the part where I'm not perfect.

I was thinking about it today, as I caught myself mulling over past pains again. I have no problem saying that, with a past like mine, I have no right to judge people. I do my best to accept everyone because I know that I certainly have screwed up. But somehow, in my human brain, I missed the part where I was forgiven of those screw-ups, and so I really have no right to not forgive others.

The chorus of this song says "Father, give me the strength to forgive them, because I feel like I'm the one losing." It's accurate. And I think from now on that's going to have to be my prayer.

Watch the youtube music video here

Writing prompt 1

It was the first snowfall of the year - and the last one. On December 31st, in the year I turned 29, a blizzard hit and dropped six feet of snow on our little village. As the first winds howled, we all breathed a sigh of relief. We'd been expecting it. From the toddler children to the residents of the old folks' home, we'd all been watching the sky and wondering where our snow was.

Blizzards don't phase us here. No, to a mountain town like Itamee, large quantities of snow are far from unexpected. We all, all 147 of us, like it better that way. With snow on the ground, we're all a little more relaxed. We sleep better, laugh more, and rest easier. It's almost like we're a whole town of enchanted snowpeople, all of us turned human by some magic that would die without the snow - and leave us lifeless as well.

Finally, the snow was here, and we could all breathe again.

Writing prompts I will use

1. It was the first snowfall of the year.
2. He hadn’t seen her since the day they left High School.
3. The city burned, fire lighting up the night sky.
4. Silk.
5. She studied her face in the mirror.
6. The smell of freshly-cut grass.
7. They came back every year to lay flowers at the spot.
8. The streets were deserted. Where was everyone? Where had they all gone?
9. This time her boss had gone too far.
10. Red eyes.
11. Stars blazed in the night sky.
12. He woke to birdsong.
13. ‘Shh! Hear that?’ ‘I didn’t hear anything.’
14. He’d always hated speaking in public.
15. She woke, shivering, in the dark of the night.
16. The garden was overgrown now.
17. He’d never noticed a door there before.
18. She’d have to hitch a ride home.
19. ‘I told him not to come back too!’
20. His feet were already numb. He should have listened.

_______________________________

• The room where they spent their childhood. Their current house or living area. A city. A farm.
• Being in touch with the things you are passionate about help you write deeper more meaningful stories. Create a list of five things you love, now pick one thing and have a character like it as well. Write one page on this loved object from your character's point of view, make sure to change it up a little so that the character's view of the object is slightly different from yours.
• Now, write a list of ten things you hate. Have one of your characters like that thing you hate. This will expand your ability to see things from someone else's point of view. Write one page.
• Three characters enter a room; an old embittered woman, angry at life and full of regret, a young idealistic boy, and a mother of a newborn baby. How does each character describe the room?
• Introduce the antagonist in a story, allow his physical description and body language to convey his/her sinister or selfish nature.
• Describe your main characters hands in one paragraph, try to convey as much about his/her personality in the description.
• Memories are a major force in our lives; we are our memories. Have your character make a journal entry about a particularly vivid memory she/he has. Make it as real and vivid for the reader.

Creative Writing Prompts: Setting

• In a paragraph describe the setting for a haunted house.
• a paragraph describe the setting for a love scene.
• In a paragraph describe the setting for a fight, either verbal or physical.
• Describe the rooms of the following three characters; an artist, a spoiled child, a military leader.
• Here is a classic creative writing prompt that can be found in almost every writing workshop. Describe a building from the point of view of a man who just lost his only son in war. Do it without mentioning death, war, his son, or himself. Describe that same building at the same time of day and weather conditions, from the point of view of a man who has just discovered he's going to be a father. The same rules apply however, don't mention birth, or babies. (If you feel more comfortable change it to a woman's point of view.) The point of this is to challenge yourself to see through your characters eyes. What is ugly and brutal to one person, in one frame of mind, may not be to another.

Creative Writing Prompts: Point of View

• Mark is a thief, but after his third burglary, he is caught by police. Write his story in first person (from Mark's point of view), omniscient point of view (the all knowing, all seeing "God-like" voice), from limited third person, switching between Mark and one of the police officers who arrest him.

Creative Writing Prompts: Plot Development

• Can you plot out a murder mystery? Give it a try. Write out a rough plot for a mystery, making sure to include false leads, and the real clues, as well as suspects for the crime. (If you've never read or seen a mystery, try another genre your familiar with, romance, sci-fi, horror). Are there any plot points common to this genre? For example, usually in mystery the antagonist's (bad guy) identity is hidden. In romance, the basic plot goes something like this; independent girl meets attractive man, she either dislikes him right off the bat or they fall madly in love, eventually they get together, something happens that makes it look as if they won't live happily ever after, the problem is solved, and they ride off into the sunset together. While I've watered this down a lot, you see the point. What plot elements are common in the genre you write in? How can you work with that, or change it up a little while still giving the reader what they expect?
• In order to fully understand plot, it's a good idea to study the books of writers you admire. Try plotting out two novels you've recently read and enjoye\d. Make sure to include all the major plot points, and twists. Now do it with two short stories. This allows you to see how much tighter a short story is in comparison with a novel. Now that you've plotted it out, are there any weak spots? Places you might have gone a different direction? What works for the plot? (Note: if this seems like a lot of work, try plotting out a couple of movies and then sitcoms, or hour long drama series. Notice the difference between TV and movies; it's similar to the difference between novels and short stories.)
• In the above example you made a plot outline for a longer piece of work, now try summarizing the entire plot of the novel or movie you choose, and condense it into one sentence. Write that sentence. Can you do the same with a story of yours? If not why? It's helpful as a writer to be able to condense a plot like this. It helps us find our themes to a story, our main ideas. Something that can get lost in a longer, more complex piece of work.

_____________________________________