[AE.NiNoBilMa] Clarifications, course corrections, and exercises. (Tell Me About Your Octopus)
Well, two days into NiNoBilMa and I am learning some things about what works and what doesn't work.
Among many of those of you who have contacted me, it seems like starting with open-ended prompts is not useful. I was already doing similar excercises when I conceived of this endeavor so was not starting from scratch in using them as springboards for writing, but also now that I have devoted significant time to doing them I'm realizing that most of my output is journaling of the sort that I already do when I can't find the traction to write anything else.
It's only the subject matter that's changed, as it's now journal entries about my cats or crows I've met or how I learned what badgers and wolverines are, which aren't completely uinteresting, and writing is writing... but it's also things I've written about on social media or blog posts before. And while I very much don't want to say that something that comes out like a journal entry is a failure, I also don't feel like I'm making any progress when I go from journaling about one thing to journaling about other things, and while I know it's only two days in, but it sounds like I'm not the only one who feels like they're spinning their wheels.
Basically, I think I made a fundamental error in my planned structure for the program in the assumption that "write anything" is a broadly useful step to tackle right off the bat, and I'm sorry about that.
But this whole thing is an experiment and we've already decided there are no rules.
So, first off: if you're having a good time doing the prompts as I sent them out yesterday, feel free to keep doing them. I've heard from at least one person who found the exact right balance of freedom and constraint to start writing, which means there's probably at least a couple of you. So feel free to keep it up, and I'll send out similar prompts on the subsequent Mondays of this month, as I'd planned.
But rather than just sending out slightly more refined suggestions for how to fulfill the prompts during the remainders of each week as I had planned, I'm going to be sending something that is a much more specific and (hopefully) easier warm-up game type of exercise along with the one I had planned. Don't feel bad about doing either, or both!
I'm also going to focus on animals rather than feelings. Turns out that "feelings" can be a much more intensely charged subject for adults in December than it is for a lot of children around the age of 5 or 6, as some of us have discovered. Feel free to keep writing about feelings (or anything else) if you're having a good time doing so, but I'm going to drop mentions of it as a topic from subsequent updates.
So, today's game and exercise follows.
Assuming this goes better for more people, there will be less preamble next time. I also won't say this each time, but if you come up dry trying to write about a specific animal I mention, feel free to substitute one that inspires you more, or use a random animal chooser from the internet.
Anyway. Without further clarification, build-up, or ado, here are the exercises for today.
TODAY'S WARM-UP GAME: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR OCTOPUS
Imagine an octopus, and then read the questions that follow. If you wish, copy and paste them into a blank document so you can type your answer to each one after the question, when you have one.
Regardless of formatting, try to answer each question as best as you can. The idea here is to make things up. If you feel like you can figure out an answer from what you already "know" about your octopus, that's excellent, but it's not necessary. Nobody will ask you to justify an answer.
There are no wrong answers, but every question does have a right answer: the one you give. If you want to change one of your answers, this also changes what the right answer is. Your octopus is your octopus. There may be other octopodes like it, but this one is yours.
Your answers don't have to be complete sentences. If you are stuck on a question, feel free to search the internet for suggestions. The point is to have an answer. It's great if they spring from your mind fully-formed as did the wise Athena from the radiant brow of Zeus.
You may find it fruitful to answer them to yourself before trying to write them down; I find this lessens the feeling that I have to "get it right" (there are no wrong answers). If you have a partner to work with who can ask you the questions, that might also help.
It's okay to put this down and walk away from it if you get stuck and come back later -- even much later -- to fill in more of it. It's also okay if you don't get through the whole thing. We're flexing muscles here, some of which might not have been properly exercised in decades.
The Questions
1. What's your octopus's name?
2. Where does your octopus live?
3. What is your octopus's favorite food?
4. What color(s) is your octopus?
5. I think I see your octopus in a field of other, similar ones. How could I best know if I'm looking at yours?
6. What's an interesting thing about your octopus?
7. Your octopus just went out and experienced a human activity for the first time. What was it? Choose one: rollerskating, competitive dancing, arm wrestling, video game tournament, speed dating, EDM concert, or other (specify).
8. In one word, how did that go?
9. Would you like to tell me about that?
10. Okay. Is there anything else interesting you could tell me about your octopus?
TODAY'S EXERCISE: THE ZED (ZOOLOGICAL EDUCATION) TALK
Imagine you had a few minutes that you needed to fill by talking about an animal. Is there an animal that springs to mind? It can be a type of animal you know a lot about (or have a lot of questions about, or a lot of opinions and feelings about). It can be a specific animal, like a pet or a character from something. Feel free to look at lists of animals to see if one jumps out at you.
When you have an animal in mind... what would you say about them?
- Alternately -
If you're still thinking about your octopus, why not imagine an event they could have attended? Tell what happened when they went there, out loud or in writing.