For some, lockdown’s provided an opportunity to have a clear-out and I for one have started sorting out boxes etc that have been hanging around for so long I’ve forgotten what’s in them.
Some of what I’ve unearthed has been nostalgic, taking me back to periods in my life I’d consigned to history, details blurred by time. Some is stuff left by others, former lodgers, ex-partners, or even the previous owner.
In today’s exercise we look at what we can uncover within our four walls. (You can do both exercises from your own point of view or use a fictional character)
Exercise 1: Inside the box
We’re all familiar with that ghastly piece of management speak that tells us to ‘think outside the box’, well today’s first exercise is all about getting inside the box.
Here’s what you do:
- You’re having a clear-out and, high on a shelf, you find a box or a packing case you don’t remember seeing before. When you open the box you are pulled inside.
- Where does it take you?
- How do you escape?
Write for 15 minutes and see where it leads you. You can write this as yourself or from the point of view of a fictional character.
Exercise 2: Between the lines
I’ve also been clearing out my bookshelves, trying to decide what to keep (and read if I haven’t already) and what to give away.
There’s a lot of books in my house and I don’t know where half of them have come from. It’s a real mixed bag of titles. Some I’ve bought or borrowed (and never given back – tut). Others have been left by former lodgers or visitors or pressed upon me by people who say ‘you MUST read this’.
There’s one book that’s been sitting on a shelf since the 90s, I vaguely remember starting to read it but not getting past the first few pages, but recently picked it up again, and – this time – got hooked and read the whole thing. It proved to be good lockdown reading.
On the fly leaf there’s a note – see picture – which got me thinking…
So here’s the exercise:
You’re looking through a bookshelf and pick out a book to read. Inside, somebody has written a message.
- What does it say?
- Who has written it?
- Who is it intended for?
- What is the story behind it?
Again, let your imagination loose and see where it takes you. Feel free to use the ‘ragdoll’ inscription if you like!
While the group I run at Maggie’s Nottingham isn’t meeting during lockdown, we’re having virtual sessions instead. I’m posting sessions fortnightly on this blog. If you’d like an alert each time I publish a new post, please hit the subscribe button on the home page.
