Write about a memorable travel experience.
Or:
The farthest you have traveled.
Why did you go?
What did you do there?
Would you go back?
Or:
Where would you like to travel to?
Or:
I don’t like to travel because . . .
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Someday I’m going to . . . Prompt #870
Make that recipe
Fix that thing
Learn how-to or learn about
Read that novel, self-help book, poem, tome
Write that letter, email, article, essay, book review, book
Exercise, walk, join a gym, swim, hike, explore
Visit that grove, monument, park, part of the world
Reconnect with an old friend, relative, acquaintance
Join a club, a hobby group
Why haven’t you done this?
What would it take to do it?
Do you really want to do it?
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No greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
“The writer has to take the most used, most familiar objects—nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs—ball them together and make them bounce, turn them a certain way and make people get into a romantic mood; and another way, into a bellicose mood. I’m most happy to be a writer.” —Maya Angelou
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Waiting . . . Prompt #869
Waiting in line . . .
Waiting in traffic . . .
Waiting for something to happen . . .
Waiting for [someone in your life] to . . .
Waiting for a call back . . .
Waiting for an answer . . .
What do you notice while waiting?
Writing Prompt: Waiting
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Write toward obsessions, toward fun, toward compression
“I want to write to test forms and to break them. I want to write toward my obsessions. I want to write toward fun, and toward compression. I want to know, and I want to experiment . . .”—“What is Your Ambition? The Reasons to Write,” by Beth Kephart, The Brevity Blog, January 2, 2025
Note from Marlene: Choose a prompt and Just Write!
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What you create lives on.
“What you create lives on. If you are a writer, your words live on. You have a unique creative voice, and writing and publishing is a powerful act.
You are forging powerful connections with other human beings that enhances their lives.
A co-creation happens when someone reads your work — half what you intended and half what the reader brings from their life experience and perspective — even when we are no longer present.” — Dan Blank, “Your Writing Lives On,” Nov. 28, 2025 Substack
These are Dan’s thoughts on three friends losing their fathers who were writers.
When Dan read what these friends shared about their fathers on social media, he was reminded of the importance of writing, sharing, and reading.
I agree: Your words matter. Just Write!
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Hailing Sleep
Hailing Sleep
By Ken Delpit
Something I don’t do,
But I used to, readily,
Is sleep through the night.These days, not the case.
Now, it’s hour by hour,
Two, if I’m lucky.Lying anxiously,
Awake, but testy for sleep,
Like hailing a cab.Up on a wet curb,
Leaning out, striking a pose,
Hey! I need a ride!If only you knew,
Your sleep is hunting for you,
As if you’re its cab.Will you find your ride?
You crane your neck, raise your hand.
Or, will it find you?In addition to pausing statue-still upon entering a room, and trying, often in vain, to remember why he just went in there, Ken Delpit undergoes daily reminders of aging. In this piece, Ken, ahem, “celebrates” yet another byproduct of geezerhood.
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I used to and now I don’t . . . Prompt #868
Defrost a freezer
Change oil
Empty ashtrays in a car
Go to bars
Go to outdoor concerts
Look for a phone booth
Bake
Use a camera that is not in a phone
Golf, swim, play sports
Go to church
Use a paper calendar
Remember phone numbers
Tease or protect a sibling or cousin
Use Crisco
Sew
Crafts
Ride a bus
Ride a bicycle
Listen to or read the news
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Childhood Games . . . Prompt #867
Write about games you played or things you did as a child.
Slinky
Silly putty
Rubik’s cube
Chatty Cathy
Barbie
GI Joe
Mr. Potato Head
Matchbox cars
Hot Wheels
Jump rope
Roller skate
Ping-pong
Spirograph
Etch a Sketch
Magic 8-ball
Jacks
Dodge Ball
Board games
Marbles
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Remembering Favorite Food . . . Prompt #866
Write about:
Favorite food from childhood.
Party food when you were a teenager.
Menu from early adult dinner parties.
Animal crackers in a box with a string
Cracker jacks in a box with a prize
Jell-O mold salads
Candy apple
Green beans with mushroom soup
Tuna melt
Popsicles
Popcorn: Homemade or movie popcorn
Pink popcorn
Ice box cake
Chiffon cake
Cotton candy
TV dinners
Pigs in a blanket
Fondue
Salisbury steak
SOS: “Stuff” on a shingle