Lara Tupper: Swift Ink Stories

Simplify

Henry David Thoreau said it three times ("Simplify, simplify, simplify!") but I'll just say it once. As summer bends into fall, I have an urge to focus on simple sensory details. The way the light lands on the last of the peaches, for instance. 

SEPTEMBER WRITING EXERCISE: What can you see, hear, smell, taste, touch and feel right now? Write a list or several paragraphs-- whatever feels right. When your page is full (or when you feel "complete"), re-read (without judgment) and simplify by choosing your favorite ten words on the page. Read them out loud. Breathe. What does it feel like to focus on less? 

Repeat this exercise daily, as needed. 

And, if you feel so inclined, let others know what this exercise was like by visiting my Swift Ink Stories page.

SEPTEMBER NEWS: 

UPCOMING RETREAT
A chance to simplify in good company: On October 13, I'll present Social Media Break, a tech-free retreat at Genesis Center in Westfield, MA, where we'll write, collage and sing along to the sweet s…