When I was at the U of M getting my MFA in creative nonfiction/memoir, while I wasn't faking my way through (creatively) teaching Shakespeare, I taught undergraduate creative writing. One of the assignments I always gave was the "do something different and then write about it" story. Different? Oh, nothing big. Take a new route home... Drop in to a hip-hop class. Call someone you haven't called in a while. Talk to a stranger. The idea was to shake it up, get out of your comfort zone. Why? Because it creates suspense/conflict/aliveness, which of course mirrors plot in any piece of writing—fiction, poetry, memoir, etc.
Once the students got over thinking I was crazy (well, most of them, anyway), they came up with some amazing stories. Some very pretty brave. Some were downright insane. One guy passed out dollar bills in Uptown on a Friday night. Another attended a Shamanic ritual. One gave up talking for a day and somehow accidentally (really) ended up on a porn site in a bank of public computers while students inline behind him exchanged looks. He wanted to "explain," but kept his vow of silence. That was a story.
In every story, for every "new" thing or non-thing the students tried, the wonderful unexpected happened, which of course led to change and growth, not to mention made for an awesome story.
That was ten years ago. Since then I've realized this assignment is also great for living life as well, a fantastic antidote to depression, not to mention. Keeping things fresh keeps us present, out of autopilot. I think this is especially important right now since so many of us can get caught up in everything but here and now, which can make us feel crazy, detached, or half-alive. When we give ourselves permission to be brave and do something different or new, we are forced into new energy, where life is unknown, unpredictable. Of course it still makes for amazing writing. Deeply moving, funny, insightful writing that we can all relate to. Also inspires others to try new things.
So, go out and do something different. Anything. See what happens. And then write about it. You'll be amazed and what unexpectedly unfolds.
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