I was listening to Carole King this morning before I started my N is for Natural quotes. I love the song (You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman…..and sitting here on my recliner with my laptop across my knees belting out her lyrics with my runs while I know my children can hear it feels absolutely perfect.
And hilarious.
I laugh thinking about how I must have sounded as an earnest fifteen-year-old belting out a tune Aretha Franklin is so well known to have sung brilliantly. Is it any wonder my siblings think I’m more than a little bit odd still?
Anyway - our prompts today are to persuade you to write naturally rather than artificially. Ready? Let’s write!
Quotes:
“Be natural my children. For the writer that is natural has fulfilled all the rules of art."
Charles Dickens
“I am a writer. Imagining what someone would say or do comes to me as naturally as breathing.”
Joan Didion
QUESTIONS:
Who makes you write like a natural woman/man? Write them a thank you note. Go!
What topic or genre makes you write the most naturally? Personify the topic or genre and write IT a thank you letter!
Lists
Make a list of 3 to 10 writers you read who write with a natural sounding voice.
Make a list of 3 to 10 writers you read who write with an unnatural sounding voice.
Make a list of the differences between the natural and the unnatural.
Bonus: Look at a previous piece of writing and then write it as ridiculously unnaturally as possible.
Look at that same piece of writing and strip everything away except for the barest, most natural words. Sparse, sparse, sparse. Allow each way of writing to teach you something new.
Traditional Writing Prompts:
When I write naturally, I notice….
When I allow myself the freedom to be completely naked with my writing, I….
BONUS: Take one of these prompts and write it with Carole King singing “Natural Woman” in the background.
The A to Z Blogging Challenge involves creative bloggers from all across the world who cover a wide gamut of topics from "whatever pops into my daily life" to infinittesimal details about unique and varied subjects. To check them out - visit The A to Z Challenge Blog.
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Julie Jordan Scott is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy and mixed-media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people's creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming Spring, 2014 and beyond.
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