Mighty Minis

If you were an action figure, what sort of daring doll would you be?

Awesome Artist…

Dynamic Dad…

Hairy Scary Librarian…

Or Risk-Taking Retiree?

Well, thanks to some super-cool creative thinkers, this question is no longer hypothetical.

All you need is a full-body scan, a 3-D printer, and Ta-Da —

You are ready for some big time tiny action!

Eventually this service will be coming to a store near you, but why wait?

You can get a mini me right now for only 40 Pounds and one quick trip across the pond.

Check it out here.

PROMPT: Your narcissistic boss decides that all employees simply MUST have a supervisor superhero rather than a Christmas bonus this year. All goes as well as can be expected, until…

SOMEbody begins to stick it with pins. Write on!

Double Dog Dares

One hundred and twelve years ago today, a daredevil climbed into a barrel, plunged over Niagara Falls, and survived!

Was this some wild, risk-taking teen who didn't know any better?

Nope.

Was it a professional stuntman who regularly risked life and limb?

Guess again.

Okay, how about a retired teacher celebrating her 63^rd birthday?

Bingo!

And here she is posing with her barrel —

After the twenty-minute trip, Annie Edison Taylor emerged with only a small gash on her head.

When asked what it was like, she had this to say —

“If it was with my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat... I would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces than make another trip over the Fall.”

There you have it.

Do NOT try this at home…

Even if you are a super-duper, kick-A retired teacher.

PROMPT: It’s a great week for some daring historical fiction featuring tightrope walkers, human cannonballs, and barnstormers. Pick a wacky adventurer and enjoy the ride — from the serene and snug safety of your office chair.

Picture This

Ah, Victorians!

Their colorless and humorless lives practically leap from those old pictures.

Of course, our opinion of them isn't really fair.

Photographs back then were formal affairs.

And film exposure times were painfully long.

So, that icky fad of photographing the dead actually made sense, I guess —

No blurry movement worries for Great Aunt Martha!

But what if their lives weren't so sepia and serious?

What if…

PROMPT: What’s their story? Write on!

Daydream Believer

Now it’s official —

Researchers at the University of California have proven that daydreaming improves creative problem-solving!

Are you listening Mrs. B.? Remember how you liked to scare the bejeebers out of me in 4^th grade English class every time you caught me woolgathering on that pie in the sky as I built those castles in the air?

Yep, I bet you’re feeling pretty bad about that right now.

And hey, here’s a double bonus, Elbow Benders—

Investigators at the Max Planck Institute of Germany found that daydreamers have better working memories.

Good thing, too. I mean, what’s the use of daydreaming up a bunch of awesome creative solutions if you can’t remember any of them?

You know, this new data helps explain an interesting phenomenon…

Go ask 10 kids under the age of 7 if they are creative and 6 of them will say, “Heck yeah!” Three will give you a “Well, duh!” And 1 will yell, “Stranger Danger!”

Back away from that last kid and go ask 10 adults if they’re creative. Nine out of 10 will claim that they are not.

And what do kids under the age of 7 do A LOT of?

Well, besides hide vegetables under their plates.

Yes, daydream.

So, get your creative mojo back on track by kicking back.

What a dreamy way to spend a day!

PROMPT: Are you working on this week’s writing/art goals? Be sure to throw some daydream time into the mix as well. Seriously, Grown-ups, you’re going to have to schedule it — because, sadly, you can no longer count on those BORING (Are you listening Mrs. B.?) English… History… Math… etc… classes.

Clowning Around

The Doctor will see you now…

This just in —

Medical Clowning degrees are now being offered in New Zealand.

I’m pretty sure that this announcement’s timing with the U.S. rollout of the Affordable Care Act is purely coincidental.

Anyway, those college PR folks are having a field day right now, I’m sure —

Sign up at a Kiwi University today and learn how…

To fit more clowns on a gurney!

Perform outrageous pratfalls with oxygen tubes (SO much better than the old banana peel trick)!

Juggle urine samples without a spill!

Never mind that University of Sheffield study where 100 percent of the kids polled reported that they disliked clowns as part of hospital décor —

Psshaw!

Those were persnickety British children, after all.

But here’s my burning question as the cost of medical care makes headlines every single day…

Hey, Bozo —

If you creep me out and cause a hypertensive stroke, or…

Freak out my kid and trigger an emergency coulrophobia treatment plan...

Are you still billing me?

Because that is SO not funny.

Not funny at all.

PROMPT: Give yourself a brainstorming workout by detailing a list of required medical clowning classes. Or, for those of you who would rather have a 50-needle-bearing physician enter your hospital room than one creepy guy in makeup — a horror tale would be fabulous!