March 20, 2019 By Marisa Moks-Unger

Visit Flow in a Party Goods Shop

Party On! When Images Lead to Flow

Card party favors promote flow. — Is it a card party favor or a means to creative flow? You make the call!

Sometimes flow hits in an unexpected place, such as a party goods store. I couldn’t help think my friend, Lynne Barrett, author and educator extraordinaire, was at my side while cruising through Amy’s Card, Party & Gifts. It was as if she was setting up a plot clock as she does in her workshops. Interested in learning more about her writing or teaching offerings? Look here: http://www.lynnebarrett.com/

First, there was the setting – a casino. Then, the military star-crossed lovers from Perth and Paris. Next, a complication – a pregnancy – set the plot clock back. Finally, the war ends and the two tie the knot when Edwin, not Edwina, is born. Too easy? Maybe. But remember that I was simply pushing a cart around and nearly forgot to get birthday cards for my nephews. Indeed, I was floating in flow. If you are in Central Florida, check out Amy’s shop on SR-540 in Winter Haven.

Will your character go Downunder on a trip? Or, perhpas Perth is the setting for the scene?

When the Setting Presents Itself

So meandering around a card and gift store that has seasonal décor is a fast way to flow. I snapped a shot of the casino where my characters met. (This cracked me up, because I hadn’t a clue who they were yet.) I simply saw the casino décor and thought of the off-shore casinos that float off the Atlantic coast. Sounded like a gamble, which is how love occurs. Then, I turned the corner and met the leads….

The Guy, The Girl, and the Complication

Paris inspires characters name. — Ahhh, the City of Light is known for its romance. Will Paris be your female leads name? Its your story. Are you game?

The guy was from Perth, Australia. I think Perth came first, because my cousin once removed, has a Perth bride. But, the male main character is from Down Under. (I don’t ask these things, I just write it down.) Then, on the display directly across from the kangaroo, rests the Eiffel Tower. The lead female’s name is Paris. A la Hilton. Or, Jackson. She is as intuitive as the City of Light for which she is named.

The next aisle brings a pleasant – if not cliché – surprise to the couple: they learn they are expecting a girl. Yet, somehow, the powder pink shower is for naught. Baby boy is born and adds to the father’s delight.

There’s No Place Like Home

Paris and her yet-to-be named Aussie hunk are done with their military careers. The war is over. So, they decide to live exactly half-way between Perth and Paris in Malwan, India. Wonder how to calculate that distance? Use the TravelMath site found here: https://www.travelmath.com/halfway/from/Perth,+Australia/to/Paris,+France

Your Turn

Baby ahed shifts the plot. — And baby makes three. But is there a reversal and the heroine births a boy instead?

Take a stroll through any gift store to see décor for a number of get togethers all in one place. Sure you could cheat and do this on Pintrest, but the trip to the store will do you good. Listen to which displays call out to you. Snap some pictures. Use them to collage a storyline or two.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go write and find out how this story unfolds.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

About Marisa Moks-Unger

"Grow Your Flow" is a creativity blog by Marisa Moks-Unger, who has over 20 years of professional writing experience. If you enjoyed this post, please share on your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram accounts.

Scrabble Words for Flow

Create a Word Bank from Scrabble

Word Lists from Scrabble — First play the game, then get writing from your curated word list.

Sunday afternoons find my husband, mother-in-law, and I playing Scrabble. This ritual helps us to pass the time during the pandemic. The games usually run one to two hours. We have taken these games to a new level by anticipating them each week, then carefully crafting our word choices. It helps that all three of us are avid readers and come up with a variety of interesting diction.

Also, the game gets my mother-in-law’s mind off of the local paper’s with its teeming death notices of Covid-19 victims – most from local residential living facilities. And, she is now interested in the fact that I am using these word lists to write from professionally.

Next, free write for a few. Make a list of the words developed during the game. Then use the list as a springboard to write a creative piece using as many of the words as possible. Play with long and short lines. Add some rhymes. Look for alliteration. Give yourself about 10 minutes. See what images appear.

Then, select a genre or two to carry through. As a theme arises from the free write of the word list, follow the lead. Perhaps a poem rises up. Or, a one-act play. Or, both! Choose one genre knowing that you can come back and create more works from any single topic.

Now, it’s your turn! If you have a Scrabble game somewhere hidden in a hall closet, it is time to get it out and try your hand at this writing tactic. It employs procrastination by allowing you to blow off writing at first by playing a game. Then, you are rewarded for the time you invested in the game by writing a piece from the words you and others generated.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

TGIFF – Thank God It’s Friday Flow

Cliché Finds Flow on Friday

Congratulations, you’ve made it to Friday. And, at the workweek’s end, there is time to find flow. But, where do you go to find flow? First, realize that flow can happen anywhere at anytime. Need proof? Look at this past post on finding flow in a card and party goods store. Simply click right here: https://wewriteitright.com/visit-flow-in-a-party-goods-shop/

How Gratitude Leads the Way

Use grateful eyes to take in the world around you. Then, instead of planning to hit the bars and clubs when the clock strikes 5:00 PM, other options present themselves during these times of pandemic. Why not take a virtual tour a museum? Or, take a walk or bike ride through a park? Or, spend an hour working on a poem, and essay, or a blog post. When you are grateful for the options you have – even if you are working from home amid shutdowns – then that is enough.

Your Turn

Playtime creates greater flow. — Spirographs, Etch-a-Sketch, and Slinkys are just a few ways to re-enter flow through playtime. What was your favorite activity as a child? When was the last time you tried it as an adult?

Think back to grade school, junior high, or middle school. Think about the electives that you took that helped round out your schedule. Did you take dance or music classes? Weight training? Or, perhaps, like me, you did candle making. Whatever it might be, try to reunite your lost teen with your adult self. Take time to write, dance, sing, paint, or play with your Spirograph! You’ll be glad you did!

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

Party On! When Images Lead to Flow

When the Setting Presents Itself

The Guy, The Girl, and the Complication

There’s No Place Like Home

Your Turn

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About Marisa Moks-Unger