Good Words and Creative Nourishment from Rita Dove and Jarkko Laine (Again)
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 45 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
“Of course, after all’s said and done, I am a writer.” - Rita Dove
Please Note: As I prepare for the Spiritual Direction for Writers book launch, I’ll be reposting recent Daily Nourishment offerings. You are a different version of yourself than you were when you first encountered the Pause, Prompt, and Practice below. So, all is well. Engage with this offering with the version of yourself that you are today. You got this.
Pause.
Do two rounds of 4/7/8 breathing. Inhale for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of seven, and exhale for a count of eight. Then read “Ars Poetica” by Rita Dove.
Practice.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and journal or take notes in response to the poems above and the questions below.
—What do you want for your creative work today and tomorrow?
—What robs your creative energy? What feeds it?
—Which corners of your world can you navigate with wonder?
—What things do you remember from five seasons ago?
—What’s over now? What has ended?
—What does “where sound is scared of sound” bring to mind? Which images appear? Ideas? Questions?
If you like, use your notes or journal entry to begin writing a new essay, story, poem, or letter to a friend.
Want More?
Read this 2016 interview with Rita Dove.
Read this 2015 interview with Jarkko Laine.
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Read Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life
SDW Book Notes—A place for book preorder links, updates, resources, notes, and musings
Flourish Anyway with Rhythms, Rituals, & Retreats
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
*Please help us protect our intellectual property, our creative process, and the integrity of our work. Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment is covered under the Spiritual Direction for Writers® trademark. You are welcome to share this link with others, but any other use (written or spoken) is prohibited without written permission from Charlotte Donlon.