Write this word or phrase vertically on
the page
As you think of that theme, take one letter
at a time, and write down the first word or
phrase that you think of that starts with
that particular letter. Again, there is no
right or wrong, just write down the words
that come to mind as you think about your
theme word. If you immediately think of more
than one word for any particular letter, you
can write down both words if you want to.
If you get stuck on a letter that is difficult,
you can adjust the exercise however you see
fit. The easiest option is to turn the difficult
letter into any “miscellaneous”
letter of your choice, allowing you to fill
that spot in with any words that come to mind
about your theme.
Once you have completed the list of words
for your acronym, read through what you have
written. Take this writing exercise a step
further by using that same list of words as
parts of a paragraph. The words can be used
in any order in combination with as many other
words as needed to complete your paragraph.
Read through your paragraph. Is there a
particular phrase, or word that stands out
to you? Again, there is no right or wrong
answer. Pick a word or phrase that either
needs further explanation, or seems to summarize
your thoughts the best, or just “hits
you” as important.
Using this new word or phrase, start the
exercise again. Repeat this process as many
times as necessary – with a new acronym,
a new list of words, a new summary paragraph.
You can repeat this process again and again
because each new acronym will lead to greater
understanding of the issue at hand.
Click
here to see an example of this exercise.
What’s bothering me today?