Cellar Door

We had a cellar door in the old house in Winchester. Unlike the doors that fold open and are slightly angled to the ground, our door had eight panes of glass, a brass knob had a proper come-inside look to it. If you took the six cement steps down, you would find a darkroom, a cold wine cellar, laundry sinks, clotheslines, and a cranky water heater. I never entered through the that outside door however. I always was sent down through the kitchen. And we never called it 'the cellar.' We called it 'the basement.' I was terrified of the basement.

THIS IS HOW TO DO IT

Daily writing is good exercise for you. You might not always think this - it can easily become tiresome and tedious. All kinds of obstacles can leap up. Can't find my pen, can't find my blank book, can't think. New idea. Turn on your laptop, stream NPR on ITunes (familiar voices keep you company), find your blank rectangle and begin to tap. Tap tap tap. Try hard not to get up until you are completely finished with whatever you are flowing out. Try, though sitting quietly is not always possible. Try is good.

A prompt is good. A picture, a photo, a phrase, a word, a painting, a sculpture. Gets the blood flowing and no matter what I do, bits of my life always begins to creep in. That is okay. Generally. Don't look back too soon.