EXCERSISES AND TASK
Ink & Intuition
Yesterday, Tomorrow, Today was written a year after my loss at a difficult time. I had processed my grief to a certain point.. and in fact it was writing that had helped me along my way back then too. I sat on a train and apologised and stumbled my way through a love letter to my baby, thanking them for their existence despite my pain. The moment those words were out there on that page I began to notice that there was hope again, that I had today and tomorrow as well as the sorrow and wilderness of the past.
I'm not going to lie, writing was painful but I was surprised at what I wrote and saw that as well as being a letter to the one who got away it was also a letter to me.
A year later and all was feeling pretty bleak, I was just going through a break up with my long term partner, I was undergoing surgery to remove scar tissue knitting my womb to my other organs and I was meeting a new reality that my life would become something very different from this point on. I sat and wrote on three seperate days and learnt about myself.
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To submit your own journal entry to the project please send a word or word compatible document to yesterdaytomorrowtoday2020@gmail.com
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SCRAWLINGS
Quick warm up exercise
Part of the beauty of these jottings is that the action in itself is the product and not what is left marking the page when you look up.
I use scrawling to clear my mind, to clear the day, to clear the noise. It is a useful practice before starting, much like the visualisations, it helps get you ready to let your creative juices flow. Much like practicing scales before you sing. Also it gets you used to the idea of not editing.
Sit somewhere you will be undisturbed
Set and alarm for 5 minutes time
Write.. Anything that comes up, the only rule is you must continue writing (pen moving) for the entire 5 minutes. If you get stuck and don’t know what to write next, write the last word over and over until the next one comes.
Eg..
Good morning everyone I like to to to to to to to to bake bread in the shop next to my mates bungalow. It has a beautiful tree and and and and and it flowers once a year…
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(and so on like this)
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Content is unimportant
Grammar is irrelevant
It doesn’t have to make sense, you can even make up your own words…
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PLUS.... you never have to read it... you can.. usually I leave mine for a few weeks or years but actually it's best to decide not to read them straight away. Then when you write you are truly free to write whatever you want.. free and un-judged especially by yourself.
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Repeat this excerisise whenever you need it, extend the time to 10,15, 30 minutes. If you can start the day by writing a couple of pages then DO...
WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING....
In a world where words loose their meaning how can you say what you mean?
This exercise is about getting to the point but also about the freedom to roam in and out and up and down.
This is for you and you alone so let it be told the way you want to tell it.
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Your pen following your thoughts around the page. illuminating them where it can and where it needs to.
trust the process it may feel that you can't keep up with all your thoughts or you may feel that you are struggling to write the first word..or the second or the third but just start, it could be useful to use the repeating word again here.. just to keep the flow going.
use visual stimulus, maybe a painting, photograph or object. spend some time looking at it.. take a few deep breaths.
use metaphor, if it's hard to speak directly about your subject use metaphor to talk around it, you may find that the directness will come later as a result.
Write in third person. it can also be useful to take a step outside and write about yourself not as yourself.
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MAIN TASK - YESTERDAY, TOMORROW, TODAY
Past, Present, Future
For the main task we are going to write about the past, present and future. This is a space for you to tell your story in full in as much detail and with as much rambling as you like. wherever you are with it now and your hopes and fears about the future.
There are no rules about the style or content should be. The format is the only parameter.
This writing is for you. don't write something to be read.. write for yourself.
Use the techniques from the warm ups, continuous writing, visual aides, repeating words.
Let Go!!
use the visualisations or a visualisation of your choice to relax and tune in.
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Yesterday -
Can literally refer to yesterday or can be a place to talk about the past. I think I floated between the two talking literally about yesterday and using the space to tell the story in full from todays perspective.
This could be a place to write down everything thats happened, to tell your story. To describe every moment.
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Tomorrow -
Again can literally refer to tomorrow or to the Future. Future plans, Future hopes and Fears. this is the place to ponder and dream. Don't worry if what you write feels dark or pessimistic. this is a place to embrace those feelings and give them a voice, let them be heard. We often forget to allow those feelings out, but how will we be healed and nurtured if we are hiding them?
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Today -
The present. again this is open to interpretation but a nice starting point could literally be to talk about where you are as you write, what you can see, hear, taste, how you feel, what you are thinking about? this is also a place to talk about where you are on your journey. how pregnancy loss is affecting you in real time. how is it different from yesterday and tomorrow?
Submitting your writing
If you would like to share what you have written please send to yesterdaytomorrowtoday2020@gmail.com Including the name you would like to use. This could be your own name, a made up name or the word Anonymous.
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To submit your own journal entry to the project please send a word or word compatible document to yesterdaytomorrowtoday2020@gmail.com