1. INTER-SPIRITUAL "Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” — Anne Lamott Read these words. Let them sink deep into your muscles and bones — your soul. Grab a pen and answer the following in one sentence: Instead of writing for my inner critic, today I will write for: _______________________________. 2. EXPERIENTIAL Pull out a piece of your worst writing. We all have those paragraphs and pages that make us cringe! Maybe it's a first draft; maybe it's the third. You might have received scathing criticism you still cannot forget. Read your "terrible first effort" aloud while standing in front of a mirror. You might feel silly. That's okay. You might hate hearing the words even more when spoken into the ethos. Read them again. And again. Read them until you realize that words can be rewritten and rearranged just like life itself. Make your life — and writing — what you want it to be, what you know it could be, even if it takes a little work. Journal about your experience if spirit moves you to do so. You will be sharpening your craft as well as exploring your inner world. 3. PRACTICAL Word of the Day: agape, an adjective; wide open, especially with surprise or wonder. Agape is a Greco-Christian term referring to love, "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for man and of man for God." Use the word "agape" in a sentence about your "worst" writing.