Triple-checked

What is one category of mistake that you take extra pains to avoid, even though friends say you are overdoing it and shouldn't worry so much?

This week's theme is mistakes.

On second thought

What is one big mistake that you, luckily, were able to catch and correct before it was too late?

This week's theme is mistakes.

Accidentally perfect

Did you ever forget an ingredient and accidentally invent an interesting new dish? Did you show up on the wrong day and end up at a better event than the one you had planned to attend? What is one mistake you made that turned out surprisingly well?

This week's theme is mistakes.

Mistakes

"To err is human" — that is, it's normal for people to make mistakes.

What's one small mistake you made in the last day or two — or if your last few days were flawless, what's the most recent mistake you can remember?

This week's theme is mistakes.

Tell us a story: unstoppable force

What is a contest you won, a goal you reached, or an obstacle you defeated by sheer will, relentless persistence, or overwhelming force?

Did you buy up every available raffle ticket, sit up all night to be first in line, or painstakingly memorize every possible test answer? What was your successful strategy, and what was the prize you won?

Page 1

What is the earliest event in your life that you can remember? Where did it take place? Is it a happy or unhappy memory?

Thermostat

Natural systems have ways of keeping themselves in balance. For example, your body sweats or shivers when necessary to keep a stable temperature. What are some things that you do almost as automatically — without having to think about it or make a decision — to help pull your life into balance when something has gotten out of balance?

This week's theme is balance.

Opposites attract -- or repel

According to some theories of personality, if you meet someone whose personality is exactly opposite your own, you're likely to feel strongly about them — you'll either love them or hate them. Among the people you know, who seems to be closest to the opposite of you? And how do you feel about that person?

This week's theme is balance.

Out of proportion

What one thing in your life is conspicuously out of balance, in that it takes far more than its appropriate share of your time, money, or attention?

This week's theme is balance.

You gotta pick one or the other

Sometimes people (and commercials) incorrectly present things as opposing forces that require compromise, when they aren't really opposites at all. For example: "You have to balance style with savings" falsely implies that personal style is mainly a matter of spending money.

What are two things in your life that you used to believe were opposites, but which you now find you can reconcile without short-changing either one?

This week's theme is balance.

Balance

Yesterday's spring equinox (or fall equinox in the southern hemisphere) is the time when the sun shines straight down at the equator, leaning neither to the north nor the south. What is something in your life that went from one extreme to the opposite extreme, and is now (at least momentarily) in a place of balance?

This week's theme is balance.

Tell us a story: news of the day

On soap operas, there is a character called a "talk-to," used when a main character needs to recap what has been happening with them. Who is your "talk-to"? Who do you generally tell the details of your day to?

Conflicting priorities

Are many of your goals "top priority"? Is everything on your to-do list "extremely urgent"? When multiple things demand your time and attention, how do you decide what to do first?

My body, my temple

How is your access to healthy food? Do you make a special effort to buy foods that are good for you, without a lot of preservatives, low in fat and salt, organic, etc.? Do you filter your water? What other ways do you monitor or control what you take into your body?

This week's theme is your health.

These used to fit...!

What are any major differences in your health from ten years ago? Twenty?

This week's theme is your health.

Guilt or great

When you think about your health, do you have generally positive feelings ("I really treat my body as a temple, yay, me!") or are you wracked with negativity ("Augh, I feel so guilty for every pint of Ben & Jerry's I've ever eaten!")?

This week's theme is your health.

Hitting the gym

Do you get any exercise on a regular basis? Is it a required part of your routine (say, walking to the subway from your apartment, or riding a bike to work because you don't have a car), or do you have to deliberately seek it out (going to a track to run, or visiting a gym)?

This week's theme is your health.

Your health

How is your general health? Do you pay a lot of attention to your health, or very little attention to it? Or somewhere in between?

This week's theme is your health.

Tell us a story: man's best friend

What was your first pet? Was it a family pet, or an animal for which you were solely responsible? Did having a pet make your life richer? Do you have a pet now?

The gift of words

When does writing flow quickly and naturally for you? What kinds of things can you express easily and comfortably?

What kinds of things are hard to write? When does writing feel labored and awkward?

In the mirror

What are some questions you think you should be asking yourself — questions you might be avoiding?

This week's theme is the questions you want to ask.

Elephant in the corner

What is one of the big, obvious questions that seemingly no one wants to talk about? What important topic has been effectively pushed out of the conversation?

This week's theme is the questions you want to ask.

Denied!

Think of someone who turned you down for something: an employer, a prospective date, a director, etc. Looking back from the present to that specific moment of denial, what would you like to ask them now about why they turned you down then?

This week's theme is the questions you want to ask.

Hard feelings

Now think of people you no longer see specifically because of some ill will between you. Is there anyone in that group of whom you'd really like to ask a question? What would you ask them?

This week's theme is the questions you want to ask.

Questions you want to ask

Think of someone you no longer see, not because of any ill will or big breakup. Someone who moved, or someone who died, or someone you just lost track of. Is there anyone in that group of whom you'd really like to ask a question? What would you ask them?

This week's theme is questions you want to ask.

Tell us a story: a thousand words

What is your favorite picture of yourself, and why? What does the picture reveal about you?

In place of

What is something in your life that's really just a substitute for something else that you want but can't have?

Spoilsport

Has anyone ever actively thwarted your creativity? Who is this spoilsport, and is he or she still in your life? Did you listen to their negative commentary and take it to heart, or did you go ahead with your novel/audition/self-portrait in oils anyway?

This week's theme is creativity.

Mountain climbing, tree climbing

Which kind of inspiration is more likely to draw you in: grand, impressive, risky ideas that might take a long time to bring to completion; or quick hits, things that you know you can complete immediately and successfully?

This week's theme is creativity.

Who, when, and where

In your daily life, where do your creative impulses turn up? Which people encourage you? What places make you feel creative? What times of day or days of the week are most likely to find you in a creative mood?

This week's theme is creativity.

Big fan

Is there a creative work you love so much that it inspires you to want to paint, sing, write, play the violin, or express yourself in some other way? What work is it?

This week's theme is creativity.