Tag: creativity

daily prompt, Just writing

Can a Blog Be Your Favourite Place?

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What is your favorite place to go in your city?

Why not?

All you have to do is to think about it.

Actually, I like this idea. 

I like to think about how, in my blog, I begin to practise creativity, how I find my voice, and how ideas and thoughts start to flow. 

It becomes my favourite place in my city of writing. 

By the way, I have another favourite place in my imaginative city—books. 

You can’t write without reading, can you?

Books are not only for reading with your eyes but also for imagining with your mind.

You imagine characters, and you also imagine their places, their cities, and their era.

Or you may prefer science, philosophy, or even politics, and there too, you’ll find yourself as if you were in your favourite place.

So, wherever you live, in a small or big city, if you pick up a book and really enjoy it, your reading will turn into a visit, short or long, to a special, imaginative spot in your imaginative city.

Just imagine: step out for a moment from the real world, from the actual city. 

Now step into your imaginative city,

to write

or to read.

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Just writing

A Cake Without Sugar?

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Don’t be surprised or shocked or both because yes there is a cake without sugar, and I’ve just baked one!

But first, with pure honesty, the cake does have sugar. It’s just not the refined kind, but dates and chocolate, instead. So, perhaps, the more accurate introduction to the product should be A Cake With Natural Sugar. (Mostly dates, and barely any chocolate as my daughter said.)

Does it taste good?
Hmmm, I’m the only one eating it, but it’s okay. I should have added more dates and chocolate, but I assumed I had used enough.

Now, do you really think this post is about cakes?

Actually, I was thinking of creativity when my cake pushed itself into the post.

So, everyone has their own special way of showing and practising their creativity. Have you noticed that while reading daily prompt posts? I have.

We may write about the same topic, use similar terms, share similar feelings, but our products will never be the same because we are different. When you use your own talent, hear your own voice, and add your own touch to whatever creative work you’re doing, you are creating something different.

Isn’t that the essence of creativity?  Its uniqueness, right?

Still, we can be inspired by others’ ideas, drawings, sense of humor, or even by a cake without sugar.

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Just writing

Your Post Title

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Do you think of your post title before or after writing a post?

For me it depends on whether my ideas and thoughts are flowing or stuck inside my head. If they are flowing, I will hurry to write them down and then think about the title. If they are stuck, I’ll take my time thinking about the title until I  know what to write about. Once I fix the title, my thoughts will start flowing into my new piece.

You know that sometimes, I forget all about the title and press “Publish”. But, since I usually check whether my post is published, I quickly notice that most important element of my post – its title –is missing, and I add it. I hope you haven’t noticed that, have you?

But don’t you think that the title of your post or book not only highlights and introduces the idea of your piece, but it is also part of your voice as both a writer and a person? I really find it interesting to think this way because your voice reflects how you feel when you’re talking, and writing is a unique, creative method of talking.  And since, you’re human, you experience different feelings that, willingly or not, will be reflected in your piece. (But, of course, that’s different with the news articles, as their titles, in most cases, have no genuine voice and are issued under authorised policy.)

People say you can’t judge a book only by its cover, right? But may I make a tiny addition and say that you can judge a book by its title because its the first thing you as a reader hear and feel about its writer.

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Just writing

Let Your Mind Wonder

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That’s the title I read in some news yesterday (not sure whether it was for scientific study or just a piece of advice).  The post seemed to recommend letting our minds wonder as a healthy practice to help us relax. Honestly, I only read the title, and the first few lines, because my mind didn’t let me read more. He already started to wonder, thinking about my own dilemma with daydreaming.

I believe that if you love reading and writing, you will definitely have your share of daydreaming for both based on imagination. When you read you imagine the story, and when you write you make up a story. It’s all about imagination, about letting your mind wonder. However, the dilemma arises when things become a bit too much, causing an embarrassing state of lack of concentration.

Imagine you’re deeply absorbed in writing or reading your book, feeling the narrative’s conflict. Then, all of a sudden, you have to pause because other duties call. You think your mind has paused as you engage in your chores. Sometimes it does, but other times it doesn’t. That’s when your dilemma of lack of concentration begins.

Now, if you imagined the first scenario, you can imagine this dilemma in another part of the world, with someone getting ready to pray.

She puts on her prayer dress, spreads the prayer mat, and steps on it. After the first few moments of good concentration, her mind starts wandering back to the blog she was thinking about writing. Not only wondering, he’s giving her some ideas. She blinks, trying to drag him back to her prayer.

‘That’s not me, that’s the devil whispering,’ her mind plays the innocent, diverting her to a new distraction. ‘And oh, yes,’ she agreed for who else could she blame if she couldn’t blame herself? Now her mind starts wondering again, thinking how to send the devil away.

‘You’ve never cursed before,’ her mind reminded. She almost giggles imaging someone cursing while praying.

‘Let me think of a different tactic.’ Her mind wonders again, this time to find a solution. ‘Here it is: Instead of whispering , read the verses loud.’

She does, but this idea, like a magnet, brings her family around. Of course, they wonder why she’s praying out loud. Is she’s trying to get their attention? Now, though her gaze is down on the prayer mat, her mind let her imagine their worried eyes on her.

Only God knows how she manges to hold back her laughter! Finally, the prayer is done, but for how long, and how accurate? She doesn’t know. But there is one thing she is sure of: God is Merciful and although we won’t be pardoned for abondoning our prayers ( Salaah), we will be pardoned for the unintenional distractions.

See, letting your mind wonder could be a good excerise for relaxation,  mediation, and creativity, but things should be under control. Otherwise, your life would be nothing but an imaginary story.


With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

Are you even human?

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Do you think it is a positive or a negative comment? I’m really curious, wondering what comes first to your mind just right now. 

As for me, it’s positive, definitely positive. That’s how I feel and think about it, though unfortunately, it puts humainty into a very critical situation.

Imagine, you received your exam paper with a full mark result. ‘Are you even human?’ they asked, full of wonder, because it seemed you were the one who still uses the best miraculous creation: your brain.

In another scenario, imagine you wept your heart out after your small bird died. ‘Are you even human?’ they asked, again full of wonder, because it seems that butchers outnumbered all civil professions.

You see how you, as a human, need your brain and your consciousness, to prove your capabilities and uniqueness to deserve your living on this earth. After all, God creates us not to be robots or angels, but to be humans with superior qualities compared to everything else. 

Are you even human? Yes, it’s a great honour to be.

Does it make sense? I hope it does.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

daily prompt

Creativity

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How are you creative?

When you use your own voice, your own hands, and your own brain, that what creativity is. Think, imagine, and be you with your own unique signature. That’s creativity.

Does creativity imply perfection? A big WOW? A high rating? I’ll say no, but that’s how I see it.

Creativity might need support, education, and knowledge, but what it needs most is genuineness. And of course, you don’t have to be a celebrity to be creative.

To clarify my point, let’s say I read your post and find it interesting and good, with countless likes and comments, and then I decided to write a similar piece. By the way that’s different from inspiration becuase when we are inspired, we still use our own brains. So, If I follow your style, words, and thoughts, my post will never be creative becuase it wasn’t me writing it ‐ I’m mainly replicating yours. But, that’s not so bad, we are not supposed to be creative everyday, right? Still, there will be a strange feeling, an annoying thought, that will pop into your head every now and then when you remember this post.

We might share the same cake, but it would be more delicious when I put my heart into it.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla