1.   The first thing is to let go. To really enter what is before you, around you, there is a lot you have to let go of. It doesn’t help to look for a haiku, but it does help to be clear — a blank slate — so a haiku can write itself in you.

2.   Use an unfocused gaze or a wider view and perception. Our mind interferes with what we see and hear — often choosing to notice the familiar. In any given instant there are so many things we do not see or hear or feel. It reminds me of the unfocused gaze we use in sitting meditation. As if using peripheral vision/hearing, etc. to see/hear whatever else is there.

3.   Notice the connections. . . to a person or a feeling if it’s there. This is the leap that happens in haiku when a connection is there. This also is not something to look for or aim for, it doesn’t work — just let go — open to all that is in the moment.

4.   Write it down. I thought I would remember. I never remember (or hardly ever). Small memo pads are all you need, nothing fancy.

5.   Put down every line that comes — there may be more than one choice that sounds right. Put them all down in the moment. You don’t have to finish the haiku in the moment, but you don’t want to lose it.

6.   Revise. Make it crystal clear. Remove anything not needed. Did you use the best word to catch the moment? Do you feel the moment when you read it? Is something missing?

Goldberg, Natalie. Three Simple Lines (pp. 145-146). New World Library. Kindle Edition.