One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.

In an attempt to write more, I picked up a little book called 

101 Creative Writing Exercises (Adventures in Writing) 

by Melissa Donovan.

This book, as well as Melissa Donovan's website Writing Forward are a wealth of information. From Chekhov's Gun to Austin Kleon's Everything is a Remix... this book was preaching to my choir. 


It will take me more than the summer to 'exercise' my way through this book; but I am looking forward to the journey.


My favorite quotes from 101:

There is nothing that will teach you more about writing than reading.

Look at it this way: everything already exists. The ideas, plots, and characters - they're already out there in someone else's story. Originality isn't a matter of coming up with something new, it's a matter of using your imagination to take old concepts and put the together in new ways. 

So, here's to an adventure in writing... to a beginner's mind... 
to having fun!