This small sketch was made after a warm-up of creative writing.
The exercise is to use 6-8 of these “asides” in a dramatic monologue about something that really matters to you. Write only one page, without stopping or thinking about what you are writing. Creative writing exercises often reveal fascinating insights into early conflicts or beliefs that you can use further in your self-inquiry.
Choose 3-6 from this list:
- laugh if you like
- if you say so
- know what I mean
- this isn’t the first time
- I have problems of my own
- You don’t need a PhD to…
- In other words
- And so forth
- For Christ sake
- For better or worse
- And another thing
- Know what I’m saying
- Like I always say
- Dig
- You tell me
My example:
Laugh if you like, but I’m still trying to figure out what I want to “be” when I grow up! Seems like at 67 I’m again in what I call a “new phase”. How many new phases can on have in one lifetime! For Christ sake, I’ve been “trying” to be something, someone, known, published, respected, seen or important as long as I can remember. And another thing, when I search through old drawers I find remnants of great beginnings. Piles of sketchbooks, small scraps of writing, poems, practice pieces, stories and loads of plans for projects with high expectations from myself and others.
You can’t tell me I haven’t “tried”. But does trying really count? You know what I mean! Can you try to get up from a chair? It only gets you caught in the suspension between standing and sitting – or you could pop up and down over and over, like your butt and the chair are magnets with opposite poles!
In other words, I’m fed up. It’s about time that I move from “trying” to “being”. Taking each step forward, keeping momentum, blast expectations and fear of rejection to the skies!
Like I always say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!” Actually that was my mother who said that. What did she know about it. She gave up when the going got rough. She never did “get me” anyway, know what I mean!
She found her soul-friend in my sister – they could chat for hours about food and kids. I sense that I was out of her league. Too big to handle! You don’t need a PhD in psychology to see that I was the wild strange one – hard to control or manipulate. For better or worse she never stopped trying!
So enough of this stuff! Get off your butt and start working!
Mara. This isn’t the first time that I have found you inspirational, entertaining, stimulating and delightful. In other words, thank you for this website.
Know what I’m saying?
And another thing – most of these phrases are very American! How about more English ones – like ‘you could have knowcked me down with a feather’ or ‘at the end of the day’ or ‘in my heart I ..’