You’ve heard me mention the ORACLE in the past, but today I thought I would give you a more detailed look at what the ORACLE really is. First things first; the ORACLE stands for:

Outrageous
Ridiculous
Absurdly
Creative
Literary 
Exercises

I store my ORACLE in a treasure chest because every time I visit, I like thinking that I’m going to discover a little piece of treasure.  What’s inside this box of tricks?  I’ll show you:

These are just a few things that live in (or near) the ORACLE.  The box is so jam-packed with stuff that some things no longer fit in the ORACLE proper and have been moved to various annex locations.  There are also some additional items not show in the picture, including: mood playlists on my iPod, a deck of cards (for playing solitaire), and of course the Idea Bank.

Because the ORACLE will be central to the structure of DIY MFA 2.O.  Just like DIY MFA is about giving you the tools to build a satisfying and productive writing life, the ORACLE is about building a diverse skill set for generating ideas.  Sure, I could give you prompts or exercises from my own ORACLE, but at the end of April, where would that leave you?  Instead, I’d rather give you tools and tricks I’ve developed that will help you come up with your own infinite bank of ideas.  That way, you’ll always have somewhere to turn if your creative well goes temporarily dry.

But before get carried away, we need to talk about some ORACLE basics.  This week, in preparation for DIY MFA 2.O, I’ll be doing a post series on the ORACLE.  Posts will include:

• 5 Principles for Generating Ideas
• 4 Results You Can Expect from the ORACLE (and I’ll let you in on which one will be especially important to DIY MFA 2.O)
• The DIY MFA 2.O Schedule

In the meantime, I want to hear from you.  I showed you what’s in my writing toolbox, now show me yours, ‘k?  What are some things in your writing toolbox that you simply cannot do without?

One of the things you’ll need to collect for DIY MFA 2.O is an Idea Bank.  The bank itself can take any number of shapes: a cookie tin, a shoebox, a jar, a small vase.  I’m using this pink cube vase that I found at a thrift shop.

How it works: Write down and any ideas you can’t work on right now and deposit them in the Idea Bank so that they’ll be there for you when you need them later on.  You can keep adding to your stash or taking from it over time.

How is this different from the ORACLE?  The ORACLE is where you keep your creativity tools.  The Idea Bank is where you store the unused fruits of your creativity.

How I use my Idea Bank: I carry slips of paper with me so I can jot down ideas on the go.  When I think of a funny line, prompt or idea for a story, I write it down, fold it up and when I get home I put it in the bank.  Then when I need a creative kick in the pants, I pull an idea out of the bank at random and use that to fuel my writing.

Note that there are no limitations or rules about what you can put in your Idea Bank. In addition to folded pieces of paper, you can also use put in pictures or any other objects that could spark a story or idea.

Hint: If you’re planning to do StoryADay in May, start building up a store of ideas in the bank.

Think about it: if you come up with one good prompt every day between now and April 30, you’ll have more than enough story ideas to get you through May.  Then when you get to the challenge, you can focus on writing and not on thinking up ideas.

Even if you don’t do a month-long challenge like StoryADay, you can still use the Idea Bank to store your ideas until you have time to work on them.  Right now, I’m only alloted two works-in-progress (otherwise I’d have way too many started projects and none that are ever finished).  I use the Idea Bank to store concepts I don’t have time for right now but would like to come back to later.

Have you found an Idea Bank for your DIY MFA 2.O?  What is it?  How do you plan to use it?

In preparation for DIY MFA 2.O, I’d like you to go shopping for school supplies.   While you don’t need to restock your school supplies altogether, you should treat yourself to a few small things.  You’re starting on a big project and by taking time to put together a couple of tools and supplies, you show that you’re serious and are making an investment in your writing.

So what do you need to collect before you start?  Here’s a photo of my DIY MFA 2.O kit.

Notebook:  The ecosystem notebooks are nice because they’re environmentally friendly and come in pretty colors.  I would rather write on unlined paper, but that’s a personal preference.  I also like writing inspiring quotes in the inside front and back covers for encouragement.

Pen: My favorites are Pilot Varsity in dark blue (not shown above) because I want to be able to see comments I write on manuscripts easily and dark blue is also easy on the eyes.  I buy these pens in bulk online.

Postcard:  I keep a postcard of a Tiffany stained glass window with my notebook at all times.  The image is what I think of as my imaginary ideal writing space.  If I’m writing in a noisy cafe or crowded subway, I can look at the picture and imagine myself in a peaceful writing space.  On the back of the postcard, I’ve written three mantras.  No matter what obstacle I’m running into with my writing, one of these mantras usually helps.  They are:

Stickers:  Actually, it doesn’t need to be stickers, per se, but you do need some sort of reward-system.  I give myself a sticker for a writing job well done and to celebrate that small victory but oh-so-important victory that comes with a good writing session.

Dice:  Currently, this is my favorite writing tool.  I carry two dice with me at all times.

Mascot:  I think every writer needs a mascot.  It’s like having a little piece of your workspace with you even if you’re “writing out.”  It also means you have company while engaging in that lonely craft of writing.  The mascot is also a reminder that you are awesome.  After all, how many people actually have mascots?

Brain Bank:  I’m going to use the pink vase-cube in the picture, but you can use anything you like.  The only requirement for this item is that it be big enough to store your ideas.  Some ideas: piggy bank, cookie tin, small basket, cookie jar, even a shoe box.  I’ll talk about what to do with your Brain Bank later this week.

As you assemble your writing tools, remember to keep things as portable as possible, so you can write on the go.  The only one that might be non-portable is the Idea Bank, but you could make it portable by using a pencil case or coin purse for it.  Here’s a picture of my portable writing kit.

I have a love-hate relationship with my violin the same way I have a love-hate relationship with writing.  There are many similarities between my writing life and my violin life.  In fact, lot of important lessons I’ve learned about writing, came from playing the violin for so many years.

1)  Practice your scales.  Anyone who plays an instrument has spent hours (maybe even days) practicing nothing but scales, arpeggios and etudes.  Why do we bother with all that pointless stuff?  I mean, it’s not like I’d ever perform my C# melodic minor at a recital.  Doesn’t it defeat the purpose of practicing something if you’re never going to perform it?

On the contrary, it’s important to find time for scales even if it means the thing we’re practicing won’t “pan out” or “become something” later on.  In writing, I’ve learned that even if a book or story doesn’t reach the ready-to-submit stage, that doesn’t make it any less worthy than projects that have.  This is why it’s important build some time into our writing schedule for scales… er, I mean writing exercises.

2)  Do not practice in public.  As a kid, I used to hate it when I’d go to music school and the other kids would hang around before class and noodle on their violins.  I call this faux-practicing.  It isn’t real practice because real practice doesn’t look so effortless and flashy.  Faux-practice is showing off; it’s performing but making it look like practice.  How do I know this?  Because every musician knows that real practice is not something you do in public.  Real practice is embarrassing and messy and downright ugly.  And it’s best kept behind closed doors.

When it comes to writing, I often have that impulse to let people see my work when it’s still in the “practice” phase.  I suppose I let people into my practice space prematurely because otherwise they won’t believe I’m actually writing.  The violin kid inside has helped me gain the strength to tell people: “Back off.  I’ll show you when I’m ready.”

3)  Sometimes you have to suck it up and do it.  Every morning from the age of 4 on, I would spring out of bed and say to myself: “Aw yeah!  I get to practice the violin today!”  And if you believe that then I’ve got some beautiful ocean-front property in Nevada that I’d like to sell you.

Playing an instrument–much like writing–is one of the ultimate tests of delayed gratification.  After all, you spend endless hours alone in a room, practicing for a goal that could be months or years away.  The only thing that gets you through is knowing that the when you reach the prize at the end, it’s going to be worth it.  Otherwise, why would you torture yourself like this, right?  The answer lies in lesson #4.

4)  You have to love the work, even if it’s only some of the time.  If you don’t, you will be miserable.  After all, what if the end-goal turns out not to be as great as you expected?  Or what if you get on that stage and screw up so royally you can never show your face in music school again?  While it’s important to grit your teeth and practice toward a goal, you also need to love the practice in and of itself.  Sure, I was never one of those kids who practiced until her fingers bled or her parents tore her away from the instrument, but there was a certain satisfaction that always came from a productive practice session.

Same with writing.  Of course you want to have some lofty dreams or goals to keep you motivated but in the end, if writing is painful for you, then maybe you should consider something that brings you more joy.

Because it all comes down to joy.  I write for those moments when the story suddenly clicks and makes sense or when characters surprise me.  I write even in those times when it seems more like work and less like fun.  I write because sooner or later, it stops feeling like practice and starts feeling like joy.

What about you?  What is it about writing that gives you joy?