Raw Dog Rhymes start first with the inspiration. A word comes to me and I am inspired to make a rhyme out of it. Then I brainstorm on paper and find as many like rhyming words that I can. From them, and using all of them, I make a rhyme story that flows out of all of the words on my list.
Every word used has to sound the same in the suffix or I can’t use it. It is a Scizo Rule that I sometimes break, but not often. I use a dictionary when I need to find the ultimate meaning of the word, but I don’t use the computer to find the original words.
It is game I play with myself like a brain-exercise, a wind-down, or an outlet for self-expression and creativity. It’s fun to use my imagination to its highest level and it appears there is no limit to how high I or anyone can reach. It gets easier and flows more fluidly with each rhyme I create.
Not knowing, staying in a place of Zen Mind, is key for I never know what is being created and how the rhyme will fall together. Saying I create the rhymes isn’t quite accurate for it seems that they simply flow through me after I gather the words. The rhyme story happens pretty quickly after I begin, and looking at the diverse words and seeing them all used, and the story coming together so magically, is a real gift.