The Pythian Games Begin
Begin your week by participating in the Pythian Games. The games are a Soul Food Cafe weekly challenge that help you clock up the writing miles. The Pythian Games site provides space for participants to undertake a challenge and, in so doing, complete their training for the games.
Kick up your heels, have a break from the serious head stuff and rest and relax with a fun shape shifter. One moment she is an Enchanteur who takes people on transformational journey's and the next she is the Raven.
Sometimes she is the Abbess of the Lemurian Abbey but then, on a whim, she changes in a telephone booth and becomes Captain Ebony Wilder. It is Captain Wilder who stands at the helm of the Calabar, Soul Food's very own pirate ship.
How mad would you be not to join us. You can come in your pyjamas, tell corny jokes, bring your imaginary friend and let your hair down. But don't be surprised if you suddenly realise that Raven has played with your mind.
The Pythian Games at Soul Food
The modern, Soul Food, Pythian Games are held on a weblog supported by WordPress. Members of Soul Food become members of this weblog and regularly publish. The most recent posts are featured here.
As a member of the Pythian Games audience you will be able to watch as participants respond to challenges here or do their own thing.
When you have an account with WordPress you can join in as well. But first, take the time to join Soul Food and introduce yourself.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byFeatured Activity
A Round Robin Story
She Wolf and Lori got talking about pigs deciding to fly, as people at Soul Food are prone to do. It is a very normal sort of conversation in this world far from credit crunches and the like. Have a bit of fun and add to the story And Pigs Might Fly. Choose a Creative Prompt
and train for the Pythian Games
Make sure to regularly check the links below. Some will take you in to the Soul Food Vaults to special collections that have been built up over the years. But others will take you to new lenses that contain activities for a month. For example, March is March Hare Month here at the Pythian Games while October leads us right in to Halloween. Expect some especially tailored activities to help celebrate the months of the year.
- Poetry Comes in Search of You
- When you take the time to immerse yourself in Il Postino poetry WILL come in search of you.
- Monster Book of Activities
- The Monster Doodle Book for Writer's and Artist's is chock full of activities which will keep an individual or group, who likes some direction, who appreciates stimuli, busy for at least a year.
Buy yourself a new unique, Soul Food journal and commit yourself to following The Soul Food Way. Make writing and art a daily practice. - Bridge to Lemuria
- Undertake a guided imagery, walk down a pathway through the woods, come upon a bridge, cross it and reach the world of Lemuria as seen by children.
- Portals and Pavements
- Manhole covers were designed to provide access to underground utilities such as power, sewerage, gas, telephone etc. Beneath them lies a surface tunnel, with labyrinthine corridors connected. Personally I have never been in the massive tunnels that thread their way beneath the streets of Melbourne so when I sought some out I realized that I am only dimly aware of the myriad of functions they perform. Take this opportunity to enter the world of Lemuria and le Enchanteur.
- Email Fiction
- Email Fiction is the fiction you write using emails as a kick starter. Begin by establishing two email accounts so that your primary characters can begin to communicate with one another.
- Coco Pop Day of Horror
- From the moment you get up, look into yesterday's bowl of coco pops and find ants forming the word UNLUCKY you know that today is not going to be a good day. The hot water is not working and you have a cold shower, all your undies are grubby and you miss the bus.
- Master List Making as a Creative Technique
- Learn how to use a Plain Indians War Bonnet and lists to kick start your writing.
- Portraiture and Self Portraiture
- Anais Nin was a master of word portraits of her friends and acquaintances. It was her fine detail that helped to infuse life into the characters who were so much a part of her life. As Tristan Rainer points out in 'The New Diary' portraits evolve as another person evolves. She explains that they are as much a device for self discovery as they are a device for coming to know a character better.
- Monster March 08
- It is March at Soul Food and the March Hare invites you to join in some fun activities.
- Red Death
- A favorite Soul Food Cafe project that will warm you up ready for Halloween.
- Technique - Making Creative Medicine, Heart Bags
- Learn how the Native American Medicine Bag can enhance your creativity.
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
- Use Style Hive to create characters and write narratives in which they strut, larger than life. Make hives for your alter egos and just have a bit of fun.
- Run Away and Join the Circus
- I have considered running away to join the circus and have a new life, but I doubt they would want me now... Luckily for me, Lemuria has a circus where I can be young, agile and fit and live out my dreams
- Baskets by Kerry Vincent
- This prompt is a collaboration between Kerry Vincent and Heather Blakey. It is a rich and beautiful challenge.
- Life Story Writing - One Technique
- There are many ways to tackle the writing of Life Stories. Walk in my shoes is just one technique for tackling Life Story writing. Take the time to read some of the material provided and share, on the Pythian Games, what it is to walk in your shoes. Focus on the things that make your life distinctive.
- And Pigs Might Fly
- She Wolf stopped into the Taverna di Muse she though that the place needed livening up a bit, so rather than tell a story herself, she started a round-robin story. Please stop by and add a bit - or more than a bit - or several bits - to the story, and we'll all have some fun!
Source of Pythian Games Stimuli
Heather Blakey and the Soul Food Cafe
Folk often wonder where exactly the creative stimuli originates. You may as well search for the mead that the Nords drank from, or go on a pilgrimage to Delphi, raid the Delphic Treasury and drink from the waters of Castalia. Alternatively you could, like Heather Blakey, sit under the oak at Delphi and meditate for some time.A simpler approach is to raid Heather Blakey's bookshelves. There are clues to be found there.
Follow Enchanteur at Twitter
receive prompts and other suggestions
- heatherblakey
- aka heatherblakey
- 195 followers
- 176 following
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- Join the Halloween Celebrations at Soul Food http://halloweensfc.wordpress.com/
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- The Halloween blog http://halloweensfc.wordpress.com/ gives an insight about how theme based blogs can be used across curriculum
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- Warm up for Halloween http://bit.ly/6WKPo and see how flexible the comment tool of a blog is.
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- You are invited to join us http://bit.ly/nynMI
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- If you have an English or Art class who want to engage in the Halloween blog make sure to contact us through direct messaging.
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- I found this while doing my Raven post on Lenore http://bit.ly/EqDVH
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- The Halloween blog is underway http://halloweensfc.wordpress.com/ with plenty of fun prompts for those keen to participate.
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- Maybe you can blabberize and post on the Halloween blog http://globalteacher.org.au/2009/09/12/blabberize/
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- http://bit.ly/EqH1b This is a fun prompt for Halloween
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- http://halloweensfc.wordpress.com/ has multiple users. Engage and you can see how it all works. You only need a wordpress account to join in
Little Athletics
Little Athletics are fun activities for students ranging in age from Prep onwards.-
Little Athletics - Reservoir East Primary
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Little Athletics writing sprints are fun activities led by Heather Blakey, who built the Soul Food Cafe from scratch and who manages Global Teacher, a web publishing platform. Soul Food was built on the premise of making writing a daily practice and...
All About Writing
SARK features the work of Heather Blakey at Soul Food
Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper: Gifting the World with Your Words and Stories, and Creating the Time and Energy to Actually Do It
Amazon Price: $12.89 (as of 11/07/2009)
"SARK is a sparkler who jump-starts the creative process. Her ideas are user-friendly, innovative, and pragmatic." -Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way
Write and share what's in your heart! Let SARK show you how. Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper is your non-judgmental witness, resoundingly supportive friend, and practical guide to the craft of writing and storytelling. For anyone who knows that a writer lives within them but doesn't know how or where to start; for writers who need new ways to work past their blocks and be reinspired; for anyone who loves SARK's wise words and art, Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper will help start the ink flowing and keep it going.
Soul Food Feature
SARK's new book features, amongst other things, the work of Heather Blakey at the Soul Food Cafe. If you are a fan of Soul Food or just want to learn more about writing, make sure to pre order a copy of your book today
Hints for Bloggers
And when you are done here slip in to the Soul Food Cafe Advent Calendar for more helpful suggestions.
Sark Kick Start's Creativity
Sark's New Creative Companion: Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit
Amazon Price: (as of 11/07/2009)
We all need reminders that it's little things that make us feel really alive & those small actions and subtle gestures that can potentially lead to great moments of magic and joy. Unfortunately, we're so frequently occupied with day-to-day responsibilities and commitments that a mere moment of magic often seems miles away. In SARK'S NEW CREATIVE COMPANION, you'll discover insight and suggestions for creating everyday magic in your life no matter what your everyday surroundings. You'll find stories, poems, and exercises that provide inspiration, self-reflection, and discovery & all cheerfully handwritten in SARK's trademark style and embellished with her vibrant illustrations. From treasuring yourself and others to living artistically and free, SARK'S NEW CREATIVE COMPANION will open your heart and your mind, and remind you that it's never too late to kindle or rekindle the loving and creative spirit within.
From the Publisher
*A delightfully inspiring collection of stories and exercises to help you spark your creativity. *Discover how to be an artist (learn to watch snails), be really alive (make yes your favorite word), and really love a child (if they get crabby, put them in water), and more! *SARK has more than 2 million books in print!
Freeing the Creative Spirit
is an old favourite that offers delightful exercises, rituals and practices for opening up your inner creativity .
Freeing the Creative Spirit: Drawing on the Power of Art to Tap the Magic and Wisdom Within
Amazon Price: (as of 11/07/2009)
"Freeing..." is filled with exercises to do just as it is titled, "tap into the magic and wisdom within" all of us. It starts by explaining how to tap into your spirit through "Creative Meditation" in which you can renew your sense of self esteem, recognize your connections with the rest of the world and to free the flow of creativity in the individual and society. Although this is mainly dealing with painting, I feel it is useful for all people in any art medium. The exercises of consciousness of breathing while finger painting are just as useful for those who throw clay on a pottery wheel. Using your childhood memories to recall playful experiences and to feel like that child again is always a good way to tap into your creativity. The child never judges when it comes to art, whether their own or others. Although most of the exercises are aimed at the adult they can be adjusted to apply to children. There are individual as well as group exercises and are very encouraging to those who deal with "blocks" to creativity. This book is filled with information and advise and definitely flows from the authors personnel journey. I recommend it highly and that you go with it and play.
Write Brain Book
The Write-Brain Workbook: 366 Exercises to Liberate Your Writing
Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 11/07/2009)
Tomorrow I am giving a talk at an author's conference. The topic is Getting To Know Your Writer-Self. The premise behind the presnetation is that the better you know your inner writer, the more you will do things that s/he likes and, therefore you will write more. It's a fact that the more you write, the better you write. This has been proven time and again when you learn a musical instrument or a sport. Doing things that your writer-self likes does not mean you get to avoid all the tough things like the 15th edit of a book or sending your work out into the world. Rather, it means you do them with more joy and ease. Not bad, eh?
The handout with the list of questions/explorations that I am going to present to the attendees at my workshop tomorrow is way, way, way too long to cover in a single session. So... I thought I'd share some of the activities here so you can also take some steps to get better acquainted with your inner writer... and start doing the things that make him/her happy... and begin to write more... and ultimately become a better (and happier) writer.
1. What do the writing monsters that trouble you (do they live under your bed?) look like? Instead of slaying them, is it possible to befriend them and use them to your advantage? How would you do that?
2. Picture your writing-self as a house. What ideas/projects do you currently keep in the Powder Room? Master Bedroom? Attic? Spare Bedroom? Now that you have seen your writing priorities in a tangible place, what will you change?
3. Choose a pen name/nom de plume for yourself. Does having one free you up to write new topics? Why or why not? Do you feel like you want to save your best stuff for your own name? What else comes up?
For more questions like these, check out my book, Write-Brain Workbook, 366 Exercises To Liberate Your Writing. There's one on every page in a little box titled Take the Next Step.
With wishes for a most prolific fall...
-Bonnie
Are you mad enough to join us at Soul Food?
You would have to be mad or bored to join Enchanteur or Captain Ebony Wilder on Soul Food's Pirate ship. One thing is for sure, sail on the Calabar and not only can you expect the unexpected but you will not have time to be bored or to complain about writer's block.
Amusing My Muse
A Little Survey
So did you have a good time
some feedback on the party food thrillseekers!
Kezza wrote
I was never any good at sports, but I LOVE Pythian Games practice!
Posted July 02, 2008
Keaka77 wrote...
I had a great time at the Games! Making portraits is the best fun.
sports autographs
Posted June 25, 2008
Anita wrote
Hi Heather
Nifty nifty nifty
anita marie
Posted May 22, 2008
Prufrock wrote
I bought a winning ticket but
I dropped it in the street
My soulmate passed by near me
but never did we meet
I found the coolest leather boots
They didn't fit my feet
Posted May 18, 2008
Evelyn_Saenz wrote...
Great Lens! 5 stars and favored!
I love the email fiction idea.
Fancy Nancy loves your lens so much that she is sending you virtual Adjectives. To help you express your love.
Posted April 25, 2008
wyrdspirit wrote...
This lens is fabulous Heather - I shall be returning again and again!
Jill
Posted April 16, 2008
by heatherblakey
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