fun and games
Too often, I forget that this writing, this creativity, this art-making is not meant to be a bother, an experience of harrowing drudgery and militaristic discipline; it’s supposed to be fun. It’s a joy to make art. It’s an opportunity, not a burden. And sometimes I let that fundamental truth slip my mind. From conversations I’ve had with other artists, I have a feeling I’m not the only one.
I love when the artist Britchida urges fellow artists to use all the paint, and the best kinds they can afford, when experimenting and playing. Don’t be precious “saving” it up for the piece that’s “good enough.” They urge others to use the good paint up on the process of experimentation and play so that (a) you’ll actually get use out of your materials, (b) you’ll learn how to use them, and (c) you won’t be hindered by perfectionism. Similarly, I love when Julia Cameron writes about creating a playful artist space, rather than one that is monastic. Let yourself experiment and enjoy the process. Don’t turn your art into a chore. Let it be a joy.
And with all these thoughts in mind, I invite you to play around and have fun with this week’s prompt. As always, and I really do mean It, enjoy!
prompt #45:
Today’s prompt is about play. One of my favorite ways to pass the time on long road or plane trips when I was a kid (during pre-cell phone days, of course) was playing Mad Libs. I carried my little Mad Libs flipbook around and used different color pens to give each person a chance to giggle over their own word choices within the same stories. (As a teacher, I also learned Mad Libs is a fun way to teach parts of speech in the English classroom, but that’s a side point.)
Mad Libs are valuable in that they remind us that there is humor and absurdism when you throw in elements of randomness. And playing Mad libs can also remind us that writing, though structured, is also playful. Let’s not forget the opportunity to tap into the creative force by doing that simple, yet profound, practice: play.
So here’s a website that lets you play Mad Libs (though they call it “Mad Takes” lol), here’s the app, and here’s a printable. Pick whichever seems most enjoyable to you and give yourself at least five minutes to muck around with some Mad Libs. Let yourself be silly, giggle, enjoy the absurdity or strangeness of the outcome. Let your mind wander and enjoy the connections it makes on its own.
Then, set your timer again. This time, though, you’ll spend five minutes writing. Let the creativity course through you. Don’t force it; just follow the ideas and see what happens. Maybe there will be a clear, obvious link to the Mad Libs game, or maybe there won’t. Pay no mind and see what happens.
If, afterwards, you’d like to share your writing, please hit that reply button, and send it my way!
ashley's piece:
The frog was surprised to find himself somewhere hot, dry, and dark. Cool, wet, and dark would have been fine. That’s where he usually chose to spend his time, in fact. Or, even hot, wet, and light might be okay—the swamp could be any of those things, depending on the time of day, but this was not that and that was not good.
He’d promised the old woman that he’d watch over her precious hut. A vacation scared her just about more than anything, which was hard to believe because she wasn’t scared of much. Instead, she usually did the scaring, the frog knew well.
He’d seen plenty of teenage miscreants sneaking up to her door when the sun went down. They tiptoed, quiet as they could with muddy shoes, up to her porch, then reached out, slowly, breathing heavy, fingers trembling, ready to tap. The frog loved this moment because a well-timed croak sent those little buggers flying faster than any mosquito, rabbit, or frog he’d ever known. She always cackled from behind the window and called out to him, “you got ‘em!”