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Here's a simple way to get your creativity flowing: If you can't think of a good first sentence, go to a coffee shop. Take a notepad and a pen or pencil. Take a laptop computer, if you're so blessed. As long as you have something to write with. Sit down nearby and listen to people talk.

For example, today, I heard two men talking. The older man wore jeans and a tweed suit jacket. He had graying hair and a yellow notepad, which he was not writing on. The younger man wore a nice white shirt, collared, with blue pinstripes. His hair was spiked up. On his left hand, he had a thick gold wedding band on his left finger.

The younger man said to the older man, "By July, I was using $12,000 a month."

Now what did he mean by that? He said it in earnest, clearly meaning to make some impression on the older man, although I can't say he did. So what was going on? Storytelling, obviously.

My first guess might have been drugs, but he seemed too clean-cut. No sickly pallor, no circles under his eyes. Of course, he could have been talking about a time before he was clean. Maybe he got his life together, got a wife, got a good degree and a fancy job that allowed him to buy those nice clothes.

Maybe, though, he was some kind of entrepreneur. Maybe he was using $12,000 worth of flour for his wife's cake shop. Or $12,000 worth of sheet metal for the roofing business he runs with his brother. The point being, I suppose, that not all drama is necessarily negative.

Even if you're writing memoir or nonfiction, writing exercises can help you get the creative wheel spinning. Try this out the next time you want to write.

Writing Exercise:

Go to a coffee shop. Take a notepad and a pen or pencil. Take a laptop computer. As long as you have something to write with. Sit down nearby and listen to people talk. Choose three random sentences you overhear. They should be different from one another. Now, write a short-short (500 words) in which these three sentences appear. Do not form the story around the people in the coffee shop whom you originally heard say the sentences.

The Crawford County Mental Health Center (CMH) asked me to create the Read My Story program as an outgrowth of their programs. The original idea took shape around the writing and art of kids in the Challenger programs. The work would be sent to me and I would post in on the Internet.

My role so far has been largely technical. I suppose it is not incorrect to call me the webmaster, whatever that means, of this page. In truth, the construction of a site like this is interesting to me, but not half as interesting as the writing posted. Now Read My Story is branching out.

After some discussion, Read My Story and CMH have decided to extend the mission of the site. Writing, after all, can be powerful therapy. The effects have been proven time and again. With the goal of bettering the community, which includes anyone who has a story of recovery to tell, I'm happy to announce three new facets of the site.

1. Memoirs dealing with addiction, recovery, and hope. Send it to us and, after review, we will post it. Writing can be powerful therapy. If you have a story to tell in connection with the mission of the Crawford County Mental Health Center, no matter where in the world you're from, feel free to submit it to us at ReadMyStory.CMH@gmail.com. Of course CMH retains the right to take down all posts and comments that do not comply with relevant policies.
   
   
2. Doctors & Writers will be a new interview series on the page: Questions & Answers with therapists, psychologists, clinicians, and writers. The goal of this series will be to explore the ideas of reflection, writing, and mindfulness in recovery. The format will be 5 questions for each interviewee.
   
   
3. Story Starters for those looking to write down their experiences. Prompts for memoirs, short stories, and tips on writing will appear on Read My Story. The story starters will be adapted from high school and college writing courses with an emphasis on form and narrative structure. An example might be taken from John Gardner's The Art of Fiction: "Exercise 28: Write a short story about some well-known, legendary figure."

We at CMH hope readers enjoy the new programs at Read My Story. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks. Please direct questions and comments to ReadMyStory.CMH@gmail.com.