Today’s writing prompt: What did you expect?
Don’t think about it. Write about it.
As soon as you can, write your response, your first reaction to What did you expect?
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New ways of looking at old- Prompt #247
If you have been writing for awhile, you might notice that you keep writing about the same things over and over again: how Aunt Luella always sticks her nose in everybody’s business; how Uncle Ray tells those awful jokes and doesn’t seem to notice that no one laughs; how Nonna’s getting on everybody’s nerves, should Aunt Silvie be put in assisted living and what the heck is up with Joey’s latest tattoo?
We all have our stable of characters that we dwell about incessantly. Here’s an opportunity to look at old things in new ways. Inspired by the poem, The visible and the in- by Marge PiercyRead the stanza below (or the partial stanza), then quickly make a list of everybody this reminds you of. No prolonged thinking. You can always add names later.
Ready? Go!
First stanza of The visible and the in-:
Some people move through your life
like the perfume of peonies, heavy
and sensual and lingering.This reminds me of:
Some people move through your life
like the sweet musky scent of cosmos
so delicate if you sniff twice, it’s gone.This reminds me of:
Some people occupy your life
like moving men who cart off
couches, pianos and break dishes.This reminds me of:
Some people touch you so lightly you
are not sure it happened.This reminds me of:
Others leave
you flat with footprints on your chest.This reminds me of:
Some are like those fall warblers
you can’t tell from each other even
though you search Petersen’s.This reminds me of:
Some come down hard on you like
a striking falcon and the scars remain
and you are forever wary of the sky.This reminds me of:
We all are waiting rooms at bus
stations where hundreds have passed
through unnoticed and othershave almost burned us down
This reminds me of:
and others have left us clean and new
and others have just moved in.This reminds me of:
That’s it. You can leave this as-is. Or the next time you write about Sophie and how she stole your lipstick in seventh grade. . . use some of these descriptions to expand upon her character, to draw out this experience with specific detail.
Of course this will work for fictional characters, also.
Have fun with this. Recreate the characters (real and imagined) who populate your real estate.
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A poem, from the inside out . . . Prompt #246
Today’s prompt is inspired by Poet Georgia Heard, who suggests the following as a way to create a poem from the inside out.
Choose something on your body: a strand of hair, a nail, a ring, glasses, a belt, a necklace, an item of clothing, a freckle . . . anything!
- Describe the object with as much detail as possible.
- List all the feelings that the object evokes. Be specific.
- Create similes for the object: It is like. . . It reminds me of . . .
- Put yourself in the place of the object. Take on the voice of the object and write from the object’s perspective.
Take your time with this. Read what you have written. Add anything that comes up while reading.
Take a few moments to reflect. Settle in with what you have written. When you feel done with this part, go on to the next, the poetry part.
You don’t have to rhyme, or follow any rules when writing your poem. You simply need images and inspiration and emotions. Anger, pain and bursts of joy are perfect material for poetry.
Do not strive for perfection. This is still the freewrite phase of writing.
When you are done and completely satisfied, then . . . set your writing aside for a day or two.
Come back to it when you are ready to revise and polish. Then set it free: Share with a friend, submit to a journal, post on The Write Spot Blog. We would love to read your inside out poem.
Girl with watering can and daisy, beaded pin by J. Pierce.
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Imagine that . . . Prompt #245
Have you heard of imagist poetry?
“Imagism called for a return to what were seen as more Classical values, such as directness of presentation and economy of language, as well as a willingness to experiment with non-traditional verse forms. Imagists use free verse.” Wikipedia
The Red Wheelbarrow, by William Carlos Williams (1883 – 1963) is an example of an imagist poem.
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
There have been many discussions and theories about this simple little poem. Was it meant to be simple, or is there hidden meaning, plumbing the depths of our sub-conscious?
“I was fumbling around, looking for a way to make sense of my life, and seized on William Carlos Williams’s poems . . . His poems were experimental yet safe—a combo I craved in my extra-dark teenage years.” Craig Morgan Teicher, Poetry Foundation
One teacher describes imagist poems as “use of exact words, avoid clichés, create new rhythms, freedom of subject choice, presents an image, is tight/distilled/concentrated, and uses suggestion rather than stating things directly.” This teacher said, “Post WWI, people lost a lot of hope in religion and Williams was commenting on this. ”
The teacher elaborated:
“So much depends
The use of 3 words in the beginning is a reference to the holy trinity.
a red wheel
barrow
The second stanza: barrow is separated from wheel. “Barrow” is a large mound of stones, which symbolize Christ’s burial. “Red” represents the blood of Christ.”
The teacher continues: “A wheelbarrow is used for hauling things, much like Christ carried mankind’s burden on himself. There’s transmogrification happening (unusual transformation). The wheelbarrow becomes Christ, the rain water symbolizes Holy water, and the white chickens represents angels.”
Or, as another teacher said, “Williams, a country doctor, had been up all night with a sick child. He may have looked out the farm house window and saw this scene.”
What do you think? Is The Red Wheelbarrow full of hidden meaning, or is it a simple American haiku?Today’s Writing Prompt: Write an imagist poem. Use any or all of these words: tricycle, put, truly, blue, roll, next, afraid, upon, shape.
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Random words plucked from a poem . . . Prompt #244
Random words (plucked from a poem) as a writing prompt. Tell a story, truth or not, with these words:
heavy linger delicatefootprints flat maroon
foam hard perfume
Or use the photo as a writing prompt.
Set your timer for 15-20 minutes. Write. Polish. Post your writing on The Write Spot Blog.
Photo by Karen Bobier
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First Lines Make Great Prompts . . . Prompt #243
First lines from books can be sparks for freewrites.Read the sentence and then write whatever pops into your mind. Don’t over think it. Go with the flow and just write.
Here are a few for you to play around with.
“Some time ago, when I was 6 or 7 or 8 years old, it would occasionally happen that I’d walk into a room and certain people would begin to cry.” The Lost by Daniel Mendelsohn
“The phone rang.” Booked by Die by John Dunning
“Footsteps on the forest floor made a noise like paper crumpling in a child’s fist.” The Half-Life by Jonathan Raymond
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Pranks . . . Prompt #242
What pranks have you pulled off? Were you successful? Did you get caught?Have you been pranked? What happened?
What do you think about playing tricks on people? Is it funny? Rude? Cruel? Does it depend on the circumstances?
Writing Prompt: Pranks
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Well, that was an Interesting Experience . . . Prompt #241
Write about something interesting that happened.
It could be a little blip, just a passing thing that happened. Or, it could be big. . . earth shattering.
It could be about something that really happened or something imagined.
The page is a big, wide-open place for you to play and experiment (what a funny word – ex-peer-ih-ment).
Try a word here, toss a word there. Mix ’em up. Shuffle. Dance your words around.
Write about an Interesting Experience. -
Music lyrics as prompts . . . Prompt #240
You may already do this . . . Use musical lyrics as prompts. Here are a couple for you:
“She lost him. But she found herself and that was everything.” Taylor Swift
“I used to drive out to John’s house,” says Paul McCartney. “He lived out in the country, and I lived in London. I remember asking the chauffeur once if he was having a good week. He said, “I’m very busy at the moment. I’ve been working eight days a week.” And I thought, “Eight days a week! Now there’s a title.”
Have a go. Just start writing. Be open. Be surprised. Let the ink flow. Let your fingers fly across the keyboard. Then share. Post your writing on The Write Spot Blog. -
When we remember . . . ” Prompt #239
Today’s writing prompt is a quote by Mark Twain. The best way to use this quote as a prompt for your writing is to have everything ready: paper, pen, timer. If you are using computer: warm it up, open a word.doc. Give it a name. Save it.
Whatever method you use for your writing, have everything ready, including yourself. Stretch if you need to. Loosen the muscles in your neck by rolling your head in a gentle circle. Roll in the opposite direction. Rotate your shoulders back in a circular motion. Then forward. Squirm, wiggle, adjust. Then . . . just write. Read the quote and write whatever comes up for you.
“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.” — Mark Twain
