This is the view out my parents' dining room window this morning. The advantage of being snowed in is you can't go anywhere so suddenly you get all kinds of things done at home. Treat your writing like that. You're snowed in. You can't go anywhere. You might as well write.

I found these fake captions of Dwell magazine photos really amusing. Write a story by captioning found pictures or write an essay by captioning your own photographs.

My favorite shop (non-Internet variety), Anthropologie has started an artist's blog which is kind of interesting. One of the first entries is from Jane Campion, director of the recent Keats film Bright Star. It made me think about how filmmakers have location scouts and take all kind of photographs to record the location.

Go location scouting for a piece of writing. Take pictures. Then write.

Write your own "How to Not to Write About [insert your own literary cliche here]" essay.

Write a piece with a lot of percussion in it.

White Rabbits - Percussion Gun - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

In one of today's NYT book reviews there is a line about a Times Literary Supplement assignment one writer received: write an essay of less than 1200 words with no restrictions except it must spill a drop of blood. Try it. (metaphorical blood, please)

I have the great pleasure of working with my friends and last night many of them demonstrated exceptional good-sportmanship in participating in our graduate student event, the Faculty Juvenilia reading. In celebration of the sincerity and intensity of what we believe in our youth...write something in the voice of a fourteen year old. Not smart, ironic, or smartass. Sincere.