✍🏽🧠 The Write-Brain Workbook I | Squeaky Wheel

That’ll be fun. 

I won a book called The Write-Brain Workbook for dominating a bowling tournament of writers. (It was in doubles, and David threw hard and wild and I was the finesse. Also yes: It’s not even a little bit difficult to dominate most writers in a bowling tournament.)

Instead of a pair of plane tickets or at least a sweet new Red Ventures T-shirt, David and I won these books – and I’m pretty sure they were second-hand.

So when you’re given a janky book to celebrate your sporting supremacy, you make chicken soup. Or, lemonade. Well, you know what I mean. I’ve held onto this thing a while and just now started to make some use of it.

I really like it.

I’ve answered a prompt called Squeaky Wheel. It’s just a fun thing to do, and if it strikes you, I invite you to do it too. It comes in three parts, and the point is to challenge our creative writing minds (without the aid of brandy or tequila.)

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SQUEAKY WHEEL

Write down six sounds or noises that kids’ toys make:

1. Squeak!
2. Purr
3. Pop
4. Pew Pew
5. Woof
6. “We’re all out of stock” (From the game Mall Madness

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Use as many of those sounds as you can in a story starting with: The laser beam penetrated …

The laser beam penetrated the glass case. “Almost … there …” I whispered to Camdyn. Neither of us blinked as a billow of smoke rose from the spot the red glow met glass. We’d cased this joint dozens of times. Waiting for the moment.

Today – all the pastries would be ours.

Tarts. Cannoli. Butterfly-shaped flaky things with no names. It felt like a thousand years before the cut circle of glass fell through, dangerously close to the army of eclairs. We were so close!

I’d just wrested a paw full of bear claws when Camdyn spotted a cute catering manager walking toward the bakery case.

“Jumanji! Run kid, run!” I bellowed our abort-mission words as security reigned down on me. The kid carried out no fewer than 17 donuts. “We did it!” I murmured as I refused to let loose my grip on apple fritters in my hands. 

They say I woke up like that in the interrogation room.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

Write a quick note from your fifteen-years-from-now self to your present self. Assure yourself that something that seems like a big squeaky creative problem now will turn out to be a minor laser blip on the screen of your writing life.

Hey, there way younger than me, me, from the future.

I’m still writing. And almost all gray! Just because there’s snow on the roof it doesn’t mean there isn’t fire in the belly. Or something. I know today you feel like you’re in rare air. And you are! Keep believing in the system you’ve created.

Don’t stop believing, or Journey will be PISSED. 

Those ideas brewing in your head will manifest.  You’ll see. I know today it seems difficult to find time to write, let alone develop plots you need. All that will come. Don’t focus too intently on that.

Watch.

Listen. Keep talking to people. Stay open. Stay curious. But also stay diligent. Stay committed. Stay the course. If it feels wonky, fix it. Refine your process. Constantly. Absorb what you read. But live life.

Under the surface, the tumblers are clicking.

Thing is, the stuff you need to learn, you haven’t learned yet. But you will. And remember the guac when you do your book signings.

Word.

– me.