Colour - synaesthesia

There’s a condition called synaesthaesia in which people have their senses mixed up – they can “see” sounds and “hear” smells, “taste” colours…

How do colours taste? smell? feel?

blue - the moment just before waking, but also the pain of pulling my hair
red - the sharpness of cooking tomatoes, and heels stumbling on cobbles
yellow - Yorkshire cheese, the sound of a ship's horn in the muggy fog
brown - mother-love, buttered mushrooms and Guinness
white - the sound of silence, nothing but the ringing pulse in my ears
black - proud and strong, the tautness of chain, a clear bell chime
midnight blue - velvet to touch and deep knowledge of a lover
green - breezes gusting, and squirrels jumping from tree to tree

Take a colour – think about what it represents – jot down a few ideas…Write down each colour on a separate line and complete it as I did...

Colour - the way we see

Colour is not an property of what we are looking at – it is something created in the brain as a result of the way your eyes interpret wavelengths of light. Colour is an invention of the human brain. Without our eyes, there is no such thing as colour – so everything must be in the equivalent of greyscale. Were there aliens, colour might not be one of their senses and they might have an additional sense or completely different senses from our five…

What would it be like to see colours differently? Or not see colour at all?

Colour - a car

What colour car (or other vehicle) would you ideally like (or maybe you have it…)

Colour - flowers

What is your favourite flower colour? Why?

Colour - the week's theme

This week's prompts are about colour.

Two today, because one is specific to the married, and not appropriate to everybody!

• What colour(s) did you have at your wedding? (Bridesmaids dresses, bouquet & flowers, accessories, etc.; your outfit, if it wasn’t white)

OR

• If you had a party with a colour theme and a white church hall as a background, what colours would you use to decorate it – banners, tablecloths, flowers, crockery?

The Journey - words in support

What are the words that encourage you on life's journey?

What would you have liked someone to give you in the form of five simple words to keep you going through the rough and smooth of life?

For example

There is always:

• hope
• compassion
• laughter
• delight
• companionship

Stop at the five words, if they are meaningful enough.
Or write more about why those words are the important ones.

The journey - journey back in time

If you could journey back in time, where would you go? WHEN would you go? And why? Start:

I wish I could journey back to...

Do you have any photos of a time you would like to journey back to? That's a great way to inspire yourself...

The Journey - virtual journeys

Here are some links to virtual journeys.

If you could see a virtual journey on the Web, what journey would it be?

Imagine your journey and write about it.

Spain
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/journey/spain/spindex.htm
France
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/journey/france/frindex.htm
San Francisco ChinaTown
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/chinatown/intro.html

The journey - where would you like to go?

Todays' prompt is "Wish I were there..."

Where do you wish you were? Can you find a photo? Why is it your ideal place?

The journey - food for the journey

If you are going on a journey what would you need to take with you?

What food would you need for the journey?

This might be as simple as a picnic - and describing your picnic food. BUT it could be more than that. What about the "spiritual food" you need for a journey? What are the attitudes and characteristics that you would need to make a success of it? Determination, bravery, persistence, patience to wait for the bus? A sense of wonder?

The journey - your daily journey

Do you commute? Do the school run? Do you have a journey that you do daily, or at least regularly - the trip to the shops even?

Next time you take that journey be more aware of it. Keep your wits about you and lok around you rather than being lost in your thoughts, head down, scurrying...

If you drive you can't exactly look around - but you can get out of that "auto-commute" feeling and take notice of what you're driving through.

Now write about it. It's an important part of your life, and something worth capturing.

Today on the motorway I was amazed to notice the fields either side covered in a layer of frost. Having had just a taste of summer in the last couple of weeks it's grim to think we're back to winter - or perhaps it's just a typical spring! Monday can be a busy day on the roads as weekly commuters like myself head off for their week's work. But on a sunny morning when they other drivers are being careful, it's not the worst drive in the world - I could describe some nightmare commmutes and one of the worst was the nearest to my home - 45 minutes to go 5.5 miles!

The journey - theme for the week

This week's theme is "The Journey"

The journey can mean many things, from your daily commute to the journey through life.

Today - simple prompt

What does the word "journey" mean to you?

If you're a scrapbooker there are loads of great papers and embellishments on this theme. Start collecting them together for a fruitful week!

Finding your inspiration - ask the audience

Here's a simple one for Monday - ask a family member or friend (show them the photos, the layout, the journal, the inspiration spark or whatever if you have one) and say:

What shall I write about?

Either

• they will say something and you will think - oh yes, good idea OR
• they wil say something and you will scoff and think that's not what I want to write about!

Either way you are a step closer to knowing what to write about!

Finding your inspiration - looking back

Sometimes when you're looking for inspiration, a good place to start is things you've already written. Look through your notebook - does anything spark? Look through your old journals or scrapbook albums - is there any style or sentence there that inspires something in your mind?

Or - look through your blog! Is there anything there that can be polished up?

Last week I talked about writing letters, and one of those ideas was to write a letter to someone you love. This week I spotted lovely example of that from blogger Leo at Zen Habits. If you haven't written your letter yet, that's a great inspiration.

Finding your inspiration - the problem

Sometimes when you're faced with that blank paper/page/screen/journalling box you know vaguely what you want to put, but you can't start.

So approach it sideways. Start by defining the problem. Start with

• What I want to write about is...
• It's difficult to write about because...
• What I want it to end up like is...
• What I want people to think when they read this is...

By the time you've thoroughly explored the problem, you might find you've actually got the bones of what you want to write already there. At the very least you should have a better idea of how to start - so pick one of the other general journaling prompts and see if you can now start.

What I want to write about is our new garden - but it's difficult to write about because I usually journal about people and a garden isn't anything like as interesting.
What I want it to end up like is just a record of the garden changing from a mess to a lovely place to sit, after years of neglect. Perhaps I want to give a feel of why it's such a big thing - is it ok to mention cost? - and how it makes me feel already and how I hope it will make me feel?

Finding your inspiration - arguments!

Arguments? Who wants to write about arguments?

I love a good argument.

I mean argument in the sense of "An argument involves the process of establishing a claim and then proving it with the use of logical reasoning, examples, and research."

It's perhaps more like a debate - arguing your point of view against someone else. Such fun!

If you're journalling or writing about something, you could use an argument format. Explain why you made a decision. Be a bit split personality: put in a questioning point of view.

Why did you marry HIM then?
Because I couldn't imagine life without him
That's a bit wet, what if he'd turned out to be
I think I knew him well enough by then to know what I was letting myself in for.
Can you ever know someone well enough after a short acquaintance?
We had known each other for THREE YEARS before we got married (and we didn't live together either - it was a "proper courtship") I think that's longer than most
So what was it attracted you?
I think he was the first person I'd ever met with whom I never ran out of anything to say....

When you're finishing your journalling - putting it into your best journal or your scrapbook page - you can take out the questions and see how it looks without them. Even if you don't include them - you may find that that "questioner in your head" has helped you get at a deeper truth.

But don't spend time on the kind of arguing that leads to rows? No-one will want to read about those, least of all you!

Finding your inspiration – random words

It sounds silly, but have you ever tried just opening the dictionary at a random page and picking a word? A completely random word may be too far from what you are hoping to write about - although try it if you're COMPLETELY stuck for something to write.
If you have a topic or subject or particular photo or event to write about, I guarantee every page of the dictionary will have at least one word that relates to your subject, even if you have to hunt through the page to find it.
If you want to be a little more focused try opening at random a book about your subject (e.g., a book about Italy, or scrapbooking, or organising your home...).
If you're scrapbooking - try a random photo as well!


I picked a random dictionary page - turns out to be the first two pages of the letter J.

Jolly japes on a jaunt in the forest?
Maybe not!
Jam-packed visit from Jenny? getting warmer...

Sometimes I'm jealous of the fact that my friend Jenny lives on a beautiful remote island off the Gold Coast, where bellbirds sing and exotic flowers fill the garden with scent - and the weather's better! But just maybe Jenny is sometimes jealous of the lovely part of England I live in - traditionally green and pleasant, and packed with history from William Morrise to the Romans. I think we often come away from our (chiefly virtual) visits and chats grateful for what we both have...

Finding your inspiration: the notebook

Every writer, journaller or scrapbooker should always carry a small notebook and a pen or pencil with you. We have those big handbags (purses for you Americans) yes? It doesn't have to be a big notebook.

If you take a photo, you can quickly note down where, when, why, what... the details that you'll quickly forget.



If the weather is interesting describe it - it could come in useful in a story sometime.



If you have a brilliant idea - jot it down - a scrapbook layout, an idea for a plot, a memory that's fleeting.



I have a notebook by my bed as well - vital for captuiring those middle of the night or just-dropping-off-to-sleep thoughts - otherwise you NEVER remember them in the morning!

So it's not so much a writing or scrapbooking journalling prompt today as a task - get yourself a notebook. If you're really creative, make or alter one...



For some inspiration check out Clareyfairy's notebook on Flickr. She includes ribbon strings to use as page markers so I know where to find all my important information. What a brilliant idea!

Photo by Dano on Flickr

Finding your inspiration: brainstorming

This week is all about finding your inspiration and beating that Writer's block or scrapper's block.
Often you know what you want to write about, you know what you are trying to journal about, but somehow you’re feeling blocked and you can’t get going.

Try not to procrastinate! This week I'm offering various activities which will ease you into writing and boost your creativity.

Today's idea:

Brainstorm

Start with a word, then just sit down and scribble down as many words, phrases, ideas around that word as you can. When you've finished you'll have a collection from which you can pick the words or ideas which appeal to you most.

If you're scrapbooking a picture - look at the photo and write down as many words and phrases to describe it as you can come up with.

Letter-writing prompt: The future of the letter

OK, all this week we’ve been talking about letters, but I have also mentioned emails and blog posts, and blog comments as variants on the “letter”.

What do you think?

Will emails ever replace letters?
Are blog posts a completely different thing?

Start with:

I think letters are…

Letter-writing prompt: Write to yourself in ten years’ time

We’ve written a letter to our younger selves now write one to yourself ten years from now…

What do you want to be sure you remember? How are you feeling right now? What are your hopes and fears for the future, what are the values you live by and would like to be sure you continue to do so?

Letters - a quick prompt - write to me!

A simple prompt today:

Write to me!

Add a comment here and tell me about your day…

A letter in history

Now is your chance

If you could write a letter to any historical character:
Who would you write to?
Why?
What about?

If you can be bothered – now write the letter!

Letters to lost loved ones

Sometimes, when you are getting over the loss of a loved one, it can help to write them a letter with all the things you said or wanted to say. If you have lost a loved one, whether recently or a while ago, why not write them a letter, tell them what’s been going on and why you miss them.

A Letter To My Younger Self

Have you made any mistakes in your life? Who hasn’t, whether they’re big or smaller. Wouldn’t it be good to be able to write a letter to your younger self?
If you could have it sent back in time to offer advice, help or support, what would you say?

If you can’t think of an age pick 19 (unless you’re UNDER 19 of course!).

This week's theme - Letters

A letter is a great way to express yourself in writing, whether writing a real letter, one that is never meant to be read, or even using the letter format for any kind of writing.

Today's prompt is to: Write a letter to your loved one(s). It's probably something we never do in this day and age.

Tell them why you love them.
Tell them what you love most about them.
Tell them the things that you never usually get to say.
Write to your kids, your partner, your mother, your sister, or brother.
This would be an appropriate activity perhaps once a year.
If you’re brave, you could send the letter.
Or post it on your blog and send them the link.

Themes for baby books & Play

There are lots of possible themes for baby books:

• Animals theme


• Alphabet theme


• Colours theme: every page a different colour


• Definitions theme: baby, love, cute, motherhood, family, growing up etc.


• Play theme: teddies, bricks, dolls etc.

If a whole book is too much - try creating a single page on one of these themes.

New life prompt: PLAY

What does play mean to you?

How do you play?

Start with "The way I play is..."

or "I like to play at...

Books for babies and children

It’s a lovely idea for a christening or birthday gift to create a book for the baby itself. For example, leave space for mum to add pictures and names of all their relatives – this is especially welcome if family are far away and the little one won't see relatives often enough to recognise them otherwise. It’s lovely to look through before bed and maybe tell the little one the latest news.

Or you can create a storybook.

Even if you haven't got children to write for - and especially if you haven't ever tried it - write a simple story for a child - perhaps a bedtime story.

Writing prompt: Nursery rhymes

Simple prompt today after yesterday's being an entire book!

What's your favourite nursery rhyme and why? (Or your child's favourite)

Why not try writing your own nursery rhyme?

Nursery rhymes can be a great theme for a baby book....

Baby books & Inspirational Year Books

Baby books

If you have a friend or relative about to give birth, a baby book is a lovely gift - not one of those that records weight and height and so on, although that might be part of it, but a themed scrapbook readymade for the mother to slot in the pics and the journalling as she goes along. A big space for hidden journalling may be best, so mum can write as much or as little as she chooses, but doesn't run out of space. There are lots of ways to create baby books and themes to base them around (some of which we’ll cover later this week).

One of the most obvious, and lovely as a present for a new mum is

My first year

Create a book or adapt a bought journal or scrapbook with 12 or 24 pages.

Decorate the pages, leaving a space for a photo each month and plenty of journalling space on a tag tucked behind the photo mat or a facing page.

The new mum can add a photo every month as the baby grows through her first year.

New life prompt: My Inspirational Year Book

As above, create a book with 12 or 24 pages, decorate each page and add plenty of journalling space, e.g., on a journalling block, a tag or a facing page. Make sure there is enough space also for a picture.

Every month make a date with yourself on, e.g., the last day of every month (though you don't have to be prescriptive - fit it in when your busy life permits). On that date write a reflective piece about the month. Start with

"This month I..."

Babies & new life - the things they do

Oh, the cute things they say and do.

If you have a baby or young child now - I know it's difficult when you're so busy - but for heaven's sake write down those cute things they say or the funny things they do. You WILL forget them later! I wish I'd been a scrapbooker when my babies were young. Luckily I was keeping a journal, so putting the text together with the photos isn't too hard.

Journalling on my son's fourth birthday at Nursery School: I have to go and do a few things before I pick [my son] up. He had a little ceremony at Nursery this morning, which was lovely. They get to choose 4 birthday kisses, 4 birthday hugs, 4 birthday claps or 4 birthday tickles! He went for the tickles, as apparently they all do. Then they can choose the four children to give them the tickle. It’s sweet. He blew out four candles, was sung Happy Birthday and got a card and a birthday crown to wear. He was really tickled!!!!!!....