Moment in Time — June 5, 2026
Cleaning the Catch, Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey CA
“Moments vanish, but their echoes remain.” — Unknown
My walls are getting papered with rejections from agents and publishers. I’m trying to figure out what to do while I’m waiting for that shut door to open.
But what? Keep writing, of course. I found great suggestions in The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad. In it are one hundred journaling prompts from artists, journalists, and others.
I chose one from the writer Ash Parsons on Page 14: think of ten images, scenes or objects you can recall from the last 24 hours and write them down.
That prompt fits into my goal of learning to wring everything possible out of a single instant and communicate it in a way that resonates. The authors I admire can spend three immersive pages or more describing a moment in time. I struggle after three sentences.
The point of Jaouad’s book on journaling is to get the creative juices going without the inner critic looking over your shoulder. The best concepts come from the deepest unexplored places in your mind. But first you have to give the thoughts that languish there a chance to surface.
I love the idea of starting with images. I’ve long used the practice of recalling moments from the day that gave me the greatest joy to keep my chin up when things feel down. Parsons’ prompt is a just different take on that same practice – a way to keep the most striking images in focus long enough to write them down and really feel their impact. Who knows what worlds will be discovered?
