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Creativity is non-acceptance, wonder, rebellion

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Tag Archives: liberation

Writing for liberation exercise: squiggle drawings for non-linear thought
Writing / Writing exercise

Writing for liberation exercise: squiggle drawings for non-linear thought

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Tamara Pearson

I often do this activity with kids – turn a squiggle into a drawing – but this writing exercise takes that a step further. Close your eyes and draw some random lines, circles, loops, zigzags, or whatever, on a piece of paper, or using a paint program. Then, open your eyes and turn what you … Continue reading →

Writing for liberation exercise: self observation
Writing exercise

Writing for liberation exercise: self observation

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Tamara Pearson

A common writing exercise is to go somewhere – say a park – and write what you see, based on the five key senses – sight, smell, sound, taste, and texture. Sometimes I like to modify this exercise and instead write what I imagine – the stories of the lives of people sitting in the … Continue reading →

Writing exercise: Ghosts of injustice
Writing exercise

Writing exercise: Ghosts of injustice

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Tamara Pearson

Ghosts in stories tend to represent a single person – a child who died young or was killed, whose presence continues to haunt her family, the victims of a serial killer who haunt a house, a woman killed on a highway who scares passing drivers. For me, a non-believer in ghosts, I see these as … Continue reading →

Writing for liberation exercise: play like a child
Writing exercise

Writing for liberation exercise: play like a child

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Tamara Pearson

Last week in class, I watched my tiny kids turn pillows into castles, physically eat and swallow a “pizza” we made out of much spilt glue and coloured-in vegetables, and act out the animals of the masks they wore. I wish I had that amount of imagination, that much freedom in my mind to think … Continue reading →

Writing for liberation exercise: opposites
Writing exercise

Writing for liberation exercise: opposites

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Tamara Pearson

Often talking about or thinking about opposites has a similar psychological effect to telling people not to think about something (they won’t be able to help thinking about it). Here, I am suggesting you create (ie describe) a character that is the exact opposite of you-with all your complexity of faults, strengths, and strange habits. … Continue reading →

Writing for liberation exercise: lose cliches
Writing exercise

Writing for liberation exercise: lose cliches

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Tamara Pearson • 2 Comments

Not only do cliches tend to reinforce the status quo and stereotypes, they are also pretty boring. Here is an exercise to practice doing without: 1) Chose a any word… eg love, old, sky.. 2) For the word, list the 6 most obvious associated words. Eg Love: romance, heart, couple, kiss, date .. Old: wrinkles, … Continue reading →

Writing for liberation exercise: rebellious writing prompts
Writing exercise

Writing for liberation exercise: rebellious writing prompts

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Tamara Pearson

Here are some beautiful first lines from some rebellious novels and stories, that you could use to try to write your own story. (Toni Morrison)They shoot the white girl first. (George Orwell)It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen (Alice Walker) You better not never tell nobody but God. … Continue reading →

Writing for liberation exercise: who we write for
Writing exercise

Writing for liberation exercise: who we write for

Posted on September 10, 2016 by Tamara Pearson

While without a doubt we often write for ourselves, our writing that we want to be read is speaking out to others with a message, fighting for a cause (even if that cause, in the case of conservatives, is to maintain the status quo). There is a lot of stuff out there about keeping your … Continue reading →

Writing exercise

Writing for liberation exercise: understanding creativity

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Tamara Pearson

What is creativity? Let’s do this exercise, then talk about it. Write a list of ten uses for a toothpick. Then, if you are working on a poem, article, story or even a drawing, write a list of ten alternate ways you could have done it, or ten alternate endings, or beginnings – whatever alternative … Continue reading →

Writing exercise

Writing for liberation exercise: story interaction

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Tamara Pearson

Novels always contain stories within their stories, and life works similarly. I believe that each person is a story, and that we interact and come together and collectively we create bigger, all encompassing stories. Understanding interconnectedness and understanding that no one’s suffering or victories exist in a vacuum can be liberating. Choose one of the … Continue reading →

Writing exercise

Writing for liberation exercise: brevity

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Tamara Pearson

Having limited space or words can help us focus only on the most important things. When we say what we need to say in the most concise way possible, that writing often has more force. Its brevity leaves space for thought, in a way that long rants often don’t do (at least as well). Brainstorm … Continue reading →

Writing exercise

Writing for liberation exercise: Failure

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Tamara Pearson • Leave a comment

Fear of failure is one of the biggest obstacles to creativity, and to many worthy things such as standing up for oneself or for a cause. Yet making mistakes is part of the creative process: we usually need to get through about five bad ideas before our mind is open enough to a good, more … Continue reading →

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Resistance words is run by author and journalist Tamara Pearson. Here you'll find her writing and articles, as well as resistance writing by excluded voices from around the world. The aim is to promote writing and creativity as tools for justice. There are discussions about the book and media industries and writing world, as well as writing exercises for liberation.

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