“Write what you know” can be helpful, but it can also limit a writer by stressing the importance of what is literally true. This exercise focuses on finding the emotional truth—an honesty that transcends circumstance.

1) Imagine a family photo that doesn’t exist but should—one that captures some essential truth about your family and the people in it. Freewrite about that imaginary photo for fifteen minutes, describing it in concrete, sensory details.

2) Now write a poem that provides the backstory, or context, for that photo. Make sure that nothing in the poem really happened—and that everything could have. The narrative you create will become a metaphor, revealing something true about your family and you.