Category: Prompts

  • Mondegreen . . . Prompt #848

    green frog resting on lily pads in tranquil pond
    Photo by Mohan Nannapaneni on Pexels.com

    Excerpt from June 16 River Teeth, “Mondegreen,” by Diane Gottlieb:

    A mondegreen is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning.

    Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes words that sound similar.

    American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in 1954, recalling a childhood memory of her mother reading the Scottish ballad “The Bonnie Earl o’Moray,” and mishearing the words “laid him on the green” as “Lady Mondegreen.”

    Diane’s piece begins like this:

    “I found a lost memory today. Discovered it inside a writing prompt: recall something you’ve misheard. The title of the 1971 Sly and the Family Stone song is ‘It’s a Family Affair,’ but I swore it was ‘A Family of Bears.’ How wonderful it felt to belt out a song about bears and more bears, a family of bears.”

    A mondegreen inspired from “Blue Jay Way,” by the Beatles:

    Misheard Lyrics: There’s a frog upon a lake.

    Original Lyrics: There’s a fog upon L.A.

    Prompt: Write about a mondegreen.

    #justwwrite #iamawriter #iamwriting

    Marlene C

  • Beyond Your Neighborhood . . . Prompt #847

    open gray wooden door
    Photo by Dmitry Zvolskiy on Pexels.com

    Recall a time in your young life when you went beyond your neighborhood.

    Perhaps you had the experience of being somewhere out of your comfort zone.

    How old were you?

    Did a grownup or older child stay with you?

    Or, were you left alone?

    Look around.

    Describe this place.

    Did it feel friendly?

    Scary?

    Were there a lot of people there?

    What did you do?

    What emotions roll over you as you remember?

    What energy did you pick up at the time?

    What is that energy like now?

    Does that energy still have a hold on you?

    #justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter

    Marlene C

  • Your Neighborhood . . . Prompt #846

    Picture yourself standing in front of the house, apartment, flat, whatever type of building you grew up in.

    If you lived in more than one place, choose the one that holds the most memories.

    Take a moment to look around. Scan from one side to the other.

    What do you see?

    What do you smell?

    What do you hear?

    Take some deep breaths as you see this scene.

    Mentally take a walk to where you often walked:

    School, library, playground, theater, skating rink, store.

    Picture yourself on this walk.

    What did your neighborhood smell like?

    What did you hear as you walked along?

    Just Write~!

    Marlene C

  • What’s bugging you? . . . Prompt #845

    Writing Prompt:
    What’s bugging you?

    Just Write!

    #amwriting #iamawriter #justwrite

    Marlene C

  • The “5 Whys” . . . Prompt #844

    Prompt One

    Make a list of five physical / tangible things you want to own or have.

    In your wildest dreams, what are five material things you want?

    Prompt Two

    Make a brief list of five changes you would like to make.

    Could be emotional, health, financial, or personal.

    Be specific. For example:

    Emotional: Change attitude or feelings that don’t serve you. Is there something you are having a hard time letting go? List that, or those, if there are more than one.

    Rather than good health: Lose weight, change eating habits, drink more water, etc.

    Rather than exercise: Be specific about types of movement, etc.

    Rather than the broad category of “financial,” consider: Freedom from present money worries, wanting future financial security, etc.

    In your wildest dreams, what are five personal things you want?

    Prompt Three
    From Facebook post by Interesting World, April 24, 2025:

    Sometimes, the real reason for something isn’t the first one . . . it’s the fifth.

    Sakichi Toyoda, founder of Toyota, had a habit.

    Whenever something didn’t make sense, he’d pull out a simple tool — not from a toolbox, but from his mind:

    The “5 Whys” rule.

    It’s exactly what it sounds like. You ask “Why?” — not once, but five times.

    Note from Marlene: A fur coat is somewhat of a silly example, but you will get the idea.

    Sakichi Toyoda:

    Let’s say you want a fur coat.

    Ask yourself:

    • Why do I want a fur coat?

    Because I want to impress people.

    • Why do I want to impress people?

    Because I want attention.

    • Why do I want attention?

    Because I feel insecure.

    • Why do I feel insecure?

    Because I feel stuck — like I’m not growing.

    • Why am I not growing?

    Because I’m doing something I don’t love.

    And suddenly, the coat has nothing to do with warmth or style. It’s about purpose. About identity.

    And that fifth “why”? That’s the one that tells the truth.

    That’s where you are hiding. And sometimes, that’s where healing begins.

    Sakichi Toyoda gave the world more than just cars.

    He gave us a method to peel away the layers — until we finally see ourselves clearly.

    So next time you’re unsure — don’t just stop at the surface.

    Ask why. Then ask again.

    Until you reach the real answer.

    Marlene C

  • A contest you won, or almost won . . . Prompt #844

    Write about a contest you won

    OR came close to winning

    OR wish you had won

    #justwrite #amwriting #imawriter

    Marlene C

  • Something you made . . . Prompt #843

    Write about something you made.

    Did you keep it or give it to someone?

    Just Write!

    #amwriting #justwrite #iamawriter

    Marlene C

  • What are you tired of? . . . Prompt #842

    Writing Prompt:

    What are you tired of?

    #justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter

    Marlene C

  • Dastardly Deeds . . . Prompt #841

    Pete Suitcase

    Writing Prompt:

    Dastardly Deeds that someone did to you.

    Dastardly Deeds you did.

    Have you forgiven them?

    Have you forgiven yourself?

    Can you?

    What would it take to forgive?

    Marlene C

  • Write a letter to someone who . . . Prompt #840

    Someone took care of you when you were little. A mother, father, grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling. Hopefully there was someone you could rely on.

    Someone who helped you learn things, how to navigate life.

    Most of us had someone we could count on. And if we didn’t have that, we learned to make-do, to take care of ourselves.

    Who helped you learn about life? Who gave you advice? Who could you turn to?

    Write a letter to that person.

    Something to think about when writing this letter:

    You can heal your life.

    Just Write!

    Marlene C