Research and reflection required as you delve into alchemy. 
Follow the link for some background info.  When you are ready, share your everyday magic with us.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy
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Considering we are agreeing to these and blindly signing our souls away on a regular basis, I thought I'd share this clever book by Robert Glancy with you.
I read it a few years back, follow the link to read my review, definitely worth a read.
What are your Terms & Conditions, fantasy or reality?
https://www.goodreads.com/.../show/20740137-terms-conditions
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Come on, we all have them...don't be shy!
Make a little (or long) list of all your
tragic indulgences...

I'm talking the cringey things your friends bag you for, be it sappy romance novels, The Brady Bunch Variety Show or cat videos...note them down and share them with us!
https://youtu.be/gR9u9efiNvg 
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Formulas are fun and make writing easy.  So we’ll keep it simple and play around with some I found in  Image and Write...Poetry
By Karin K. Hess
 
 
Line #1: Write three ing words            Examining, studying, testing,
Line #2: I am                             I am searching for a cure
Line #3: Write three adjectives           Tired, tense, drained
Line #4: I feel                           I feel so close...
 
 
CAPTURING THE MOMENT
 
This formula freezes an instant and examines various aspects of it.
 
Line #1: Adverb or Adjective                         Asleep
Line #2: I was                                       I was dreaming
Line #3: Verb or Adjective                           Content
Line #4: I am                                        I am not alone
Line #5: Verb or Adjective                           Comforted
Line #6:I will                                       I will try again
Line #7: Verb or Adjective                           Refreshed
Line #8: Now                                         Now I can.
 
 
 
Line #1: What if
Line #2: I might (leave a space between lines 2 & 3)
Line #3: What if
Line #4: I could
Line #5: What if
Line #6: I would (leave a space between lines 6 & 7)
Line #7: Ask a question

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.
- THICH NHAT HANH
 
Walking is a technique of solitude, a way into reverie. The walker is not a sleepwalker but a daydreamer. - DEIRDRE HEDDON
 
If you seek creative ideas go walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. - RAYMOND INMON
 
All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.
- Friedrich Nietzsche
 
Last week we went on pilgrimage within ourselves, this week, let’s go for a little wander.  Contemplate these words while walking somewhere lovely, then let your words wander on the page…
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​​What are your key words?
What does this image open in you?
What would your key look like?
Use your key words to open all those free writing doors...

Hey Presto!
 
Ever dreamed of making inanimate objects real? 
Here is your chance.
 
This is a cute book to use with students or to offer to a young wordsmith.  It is fun, colourful and informative, set out with space to write directly in the book!
Try it out with this little test run on personification.

Making pilgrimage
 
We continue to explore our Fruitflesh with Gayle Brandeis. 
What and where are you made up of? 
Follow the prompt and take us on a tour…

There is a time in the day that is just right, your time, when all is quiet and your mind has room to move…or not.
I tend to be a night owl, pottering into the night without realising.  Others are early birds and love to watch the sun come up.  Maybe there is a time related quote that resonates with you, if so share it with us and free write your time away!
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Back to basics and Natalie Goldberg, (among others), has it covered. 
A little bit of stress often creeps into our creative endeavours.  Wondering if we'll get it right, have natural talent, understand or fear of the blank canvas or white page.
Overthinking it makes you more anxious, so ...
go with the flow,
set achievable goals like keeping the pen moving,
writing the first thing that comes to mind,
not worrying about spelling and grammar,
remembering that there is no wrong or right,
and most importantly, enjoy yourself!
 
I have pretty much read similar advice in many of the creative writing books I’ve come across.  Finding your time, choosing your tools, creating your rituals…its all part of the process.
So lets perform a little experiment. 
Grab a handful of as many different writing tools and materials as you can find at hand.
Experiment writing with them all.
Write in different locations, with or without music, with incense or birdsong or complete stillness.  Make a feather quill and dip it in some real ink, dribble those slurps of tea onto the page and tell us what works best for you.

yle Brandeis’ book Fruitflesh is divided into earthy chapters following the cycle of life: seeds, roots, trunk, branches, leaves, buds, flowers, fruit, seeds.
Within each are little stories and anecdotes, connecting this same cycle back to the lush richness of our bodies and all the rites of passage of life, turning each thought into a moment of reflection, a metaphor, a writing prompt.
If you read the Intro last week, you will have a sense of the fruitfulness she speaks of; perhaps you feel it within yourself already.  It is beautifully crafted and incredibly inspiring, celebrating each step of the feminine voyage.
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This week we are rummaging around in our cellars...

Check the images for the prompt.
 

Inspiration
For as long as I have felt the urge to write, I have discovered and been inspired by other writers. 
You may have guessed by now, that inspiration comes to me from all around; lists, words, sounds, the senses, nature, books, views, everyday routine, art, people… Really it is endless, anything and everything!
 
Let’s go with that idea.
Free write a list of what inspires you.

Fruitflesh by Gayle Brandeis
 
This is a luscious book.
This is one of those books that I wish I wrote for so many reasons and I know it will appeal to many of my creative sisters out there!
To whet your appetite, I am including just the intro and the very beginning of chapter two, for you to work with.
If you can find a copy, buy it for sure!