You need two writing spaces. One, a piece of paper or an old journal or wherever you can write something you do not “ship” . . . ship to your mantle, to a friend, to your heart.
The second piece of paper—smaller, please—the kind you might ship to a place or a person of a sense of self.
(No computers. Put your phone as far away from you as possible. A local river will do.)
On the first piece of paper, write for 5-15 minutes on love or justice or self. (Or something else that strikes your fancy, or the fancy of your students.)
Nonsense or play or ruckus all make good subjects as well.
This is a free write. Write as fast as you can. No editing, no stopping. If you think “What shall I write?” You simply write, “what shall I write?”
After this, take a breath.
Look at what you have written.
Now, take the second piece of paper and fold it over so it works like a book.
Add a title: The Book of Love (or play or ruckus or whatever you wrote about) and, on the inside, write your book.
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