The minutes passed
beer-can rollers
in her hair
she sat cross-legged
on her bed –
the yellow phone
across from her
like some evil amphibian.
20th century sphinxes they were
those phones
frog shaped
with dials
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Joining Creative Caffeine
What is Creative Caffeine?
The Blend: The idea behind Creative Caffeine is a blend of two writing principles. First, that the more you write, the better you write. And second, that there’s a creative alchemy that comes from free-writing first thing in the morning.
The Brew: Here’s how it works. Every weekday morning, the Creative Caffeine barista will email you a writing prompt - something that will act like a jolt of caffeine for your writing brain. Using this prompt, you will free write for 10 minutes. Ideally, you’ll do this before you shower, get dressed, feed the dog and the kids – in other words, before your internal judge wakes up. When the 10 minutes are over, you’ll email that morning’s work to your Creative Caffeine weekly writing partners, as well as to the barista.
Your weekly writing partners will read the morning’s work, and highlight the passages they like, the ideas they think should be developed into longer pieces. And you’ll do the same for them.
At the end of the week, the barista will choose her fave from each Caffeinator's work for the week and post it on the Creative Caffeine blog site. Everybody* will read your writing and marvel.
(*Links to the Creative Caffeine blog site appear on multiple websites.)
Placing your order: You can join Creative Caffeine any Monday morning. The cost is $100 for a four-week commitment (20 writing days). To join click here.
The Dark Roast Option – For those who are serious about their jolt: When you register, just send the Creative Caffeine barista an extra check for $100. If you write every one of the 20 days, you’ll get your check back. Every day you miss, will cost you $5 – the equivalent of a grande latte.
The Brew: Here’s how it works. Every weekday morning, the Creative Caffeine barista will email you a writing prompt - something that will act like a jolt of caffeine for your writing brain. Using this prompt, you will free write for 10 minutes. Ideally, you’ll do this before you shower, get dressed, feed the dog and the kids – in other words, before your internal judge wakes up. When the 10 minutes are over, you’ll email that morning’s work to your Creative Caffeine weekly writing partners, as well as to the barista.
Your weekly writing partners will read the morning’s work, and highlight the passages they like, the ideas they think should be developed into longer pieces. And you’ll do the same for them.
At the end of the week, the barista will choose her fave from each Caffeinator's work for the week and post it on the Creative Caffeine blog site. Everybody* will read your writing and marvel.
(*Links to the Creative Caffeine blog site appear on multiple websites.)
Placing your order: You can join Creative Caffeine any Monday morning. The cost is $100 for a four-week commitment (20 writing days). To join click here.
The Dark Roast Option – For those who are serious about their jolt: When you register, just send the Creative Caffeine barista an extra check for $100. If you write every one of the 20 days, you’ll get your check back. Every day you miss, will cost you $5 – the equivalent of a grande latte.
About the Creative Caffeine Barista
The Creative Caffeine barista, also known as Janis Cooke Newman, has been teaching writing in the SF Bay Area for nearly 10 years.
She is the author of a memoir, "The Russian Word for Snow," and a novel, "Mary." Her essays and travel stories have appeared in numerous publications, including the LA Times and Backpacker magazine, as well as in several anthologies. She is a member of the SF Writers Grotto.
For more on Janis Cooke Newman, and to find out more about her classes, click here.
She is the author of a memoir, "The Russian Word for Snow," and a novel, "Mary." Her essays and travel stories have appeared in numerous publications, including the LA Times and Backpacker magazine, as well as in several anthologies. She is a member of the SF Writers Grotto.
For more on Janis Cooke Newman, and to find out more about her classes, click here.
Blog Archive
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2009
(481)
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August
(66)
- Firing a Gun - Rachel Debaere
- Firing a Gun - Carol Arnold
- Departing - Elizabeth Weld Nolan
- Departing - Jessica Maria Tuccelli
- Ending Things - Melody Cryns
- Ending Things - Bonnie Smetts
- Ending Things - Chris Callaghan
- Ending Things - Darcy Vebber
- Ending Things - Vicki Rubini
- Ending Things - John Fetto
- What You Always Suspected - Camilla Basham
- What She Always Suspected - Jeff Thomas
- Something Desperate - Jennifer Baljko
- Telling a Lie - Jessica Maria Tuccelli
- Telling a Lie - Elizabeth Weld Nolan
- Liar - Vicki Rubini
- Telling a Lie - Darcy Vebber
- Telling a Lie - Melody Cryns
- No Talking - John Fetto
- No Talking - Rebecca Own
- No Talking - Jeff Thomas
- Loyalty - Carol Arnold
- Loyalty - Chris Callaghan
- I Knew It Was Missing - Bonnie Smetts
- Weather - Camilla Basham
- Weather - Jennifer Balko
- Coming Together - Elizabeth Weld Nolan
- Coming Together - John Fetto
- Coming Together - Anne Wright
- Coming Together - Bonnie Smetts
- Coming Together - Camilla Basham
- Coming Apart - Carol Arnold
- Coming Apart - Darcy Vebber
- Coming Apart - Jeff Thomas
- Coming Apart - Jennifer Baljko
- Coming Apart - Randy Wong
- Skin - Vicki Rubinii
- Skin - Melody Cryns
- Nobody Comes Heres Anymore - Robin Jean
- Walking Together - Robin Jean
- Taking a Walk Together - Elizabeth Weld Nolan
- Walking Together - Darcy Vebber
- Walking Together - John Fetto
- Walking Together - Bonnie Smetts
- Walking Together - Randy Wong
- Don't Call Me - Donna Shomer
- Don't Call Me - Camilla Basham
- Don't Call Me - Vicki Rubini
- Feet - Anne Wright
- Feet - Chris Callaghan
- Feet - Jennifer Balko
- Dog Days - Jeff Thomas
- Dog Days - Melody Cryns
- In the Middle of Things - Jeff Thomas
- Dark Red - Bonnie Smetts
- In the Middle of Things - Vicki Rubini
- In the Middle of Things - Jennifer Baljko
- Slipped Through My Fingers - Anne Wright
- Slipped Through My Fingers - Camilla Basham
- Slipped Through My Fingers - Chris Callaghan
- Slipped Through My Fingers - Elizabeth Weld Nolan
- Slipped Through My Fingers - Melody Cryns
- Eating Outside - Darcy Vebber
- Eating Outside - Donna Shomer
- Eating Outside - John Fetto
- Eating Outside - Randy Wong
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August
(66)
Great! Great! Great! I see it all perfectly. More than that, I feel it all perfectly. And you do it all in a few, spare, perfectly chosen words.
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