Today’s Writing Prompt . . . This Old Barn.
Or: If this barn could talk. . .
What do you think this barn was used for? Did you grow up near a barn like this?
Either write what really happened or make something up.
This old barn . . .
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I never thought of that .. . Prompt # 225
Part Three of a three-part series of writing prompts inspired by Susan Bono’s Jumpstart Writing Workshop.
A rewarding aspect of writing is when writers create scenarios that offer illumination for readers . . . that “aha moment.”
Inside a Snowflake
Tiny snow droplets slide into the snowflake
as it falls to the ground. if you listen, really closely,
you can hear the sun crunching together.
The weather is stormy—a snowstorm
with little snowflakes inside the big snowflake.
A girl lives in the snowflake, with golden hair in pretty braids
with a ribbon on the bottom.
At midnight she watches the snow fall outside the snowflake,
and the icicles drip. the next day she goes out
on the frozen lake and ice skates.
Sparks of ice fly up behind her.
By Emily Osborn, Grade 3, Poetry In The Schools
I love this fun and creative perspective, “. . . little snowflakes inside the big snowflake.”
Our unique ways of seeing things and capturing our thoughts in the written word can inspire readers, “Oh, I never thought of it like that.”
But how do writers access those sparks of creativity? Just Write. Be yourself. When you sit down to write, shed your inner critic, get in touch with your child-like world of discovery.
Writing Prompt: Write about being inside something.
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Narrator is the last to know . . . Prompt #224
This is Part Two of a three-part series of writing prompts inspired by Susan Bono’s Jumpstart Writing Workshop. Part One: Something Missing . . . Prompt #223
Susan talked about creating tension when the reader knows something that the narrator/character doesn’t know.
Prompt: Create or recreate a scene where the narrator/character doesn’t know what’s going on.
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Something missing . . . Prompt #223
I had the good fortune recently to “sit on the other side of the table.” I attended a Jumpstart Writing Workshop facilitated by Susan Bono.
Susan talked about how there is tension between what the reader knows and what the narrator/character doesn’t know.
Photo of Susan at Jumpstart Writing Workshop in Copperfield’s Bookstore, downtown Petaluma. Photo by Breana Marie.
Susan read Shel Silverstein’s poem, “Something Missing.”
I put on my socks,
I remember I put on my shoes.
I remember I put on my tie
That was painted
In beautiful purples and blues.
I remember I put on my coat,
To look perfectly grand at the dance,
Yet I feel there is something
I may have forgot—-
What is it? What is it?. . .Do you know what the narrator forgot? If you don’t know, read the poem again.
It rhymes with “dance.” . . . Pants!
Susan talked about how, in writing, there can be tension between what the reader knows and what the narrator/character doesn’t know. In the poem for example, the reader knows what the character doesn’t know . . . he forgot his pants.
Susan next talked about “yearning for an answer.” I think she’s on to something. . . readers yearn for answers as do writers. When writing, especially freewrites, we can learn about ourselves and as we write, truths can be revealed. Or, we might see an old situation in a new way. That’s what happened for me while writing on this prompt.
Writing Prompt: Write about the feeling of something missing.
Part 1 of 3. The next two prompts will continue with this subject of reader knowing, narrator not knowing and what’s missing. Stay tuned.
A reminder for making comments on The Write Spot Blog: There is no judging, no critiquing, no questions asked for clarification. With this type of freewriting, we are writing for ourselves, not for an audience nor for the entertainment of others. This type of writing can result in polished writing that is published, but that’s up to the writer to decide whether or not to share his/her writing. The first inklings of freewrites are kernels . . . ready to pop, or newly hatched, kind of like newborn babies seeing the world for the first time. Be kind with your comments.
And be gentle with yourself, dear writer, you are doing important work.
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Happiness Recipe . . . Prompt # 222
What is your recipe for happiness?Oh, I know there is no “Happy Recipe.”
But let’s say there is . . . what is the secret ingredient?
What makes you, or your fictional character, happy?
Interesting article on happiness (if you have vertigo, quickly scroll past the swirly circling thing). I love the quotes from Elvis and Jim Carry. Ted, Moreno’s Happiness and the Hypnosis of the Culture, Part I
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What I Learned . .. Prompt #221
So many possibilities for this prompt. You can write what you learned, what someone else learned, what your fictional character learned. Just write!
Writing Prompt: What I Learned
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Agatha’s Disappearance . . . Prompt #220
Today’s writing prompt is inspired by Agatha Christie’s mysterious disappearance.On a chilly December evening in 1926, 36-year-old Christie vanished from her English estate. While the famed author reportedly left a note that she had gone on vacation, the discovery of her car suggested otherwise. The vehicle was found at the edge of a quarry not far from her home, abandoned with its hood up and lights on. Inside sat Christie’s fur coat, her old driver’s license, and a bag of clothes.
News of Christie’s disappearance spread quickly, and a massive manhunt commenced. Over a thousand officers and 15,000 volunteers combed the countryside while dredge teams scoured the surrounding lakes and streams. A fleet of biplanes searched from the skies – the first in England’s history for a missing person case.
By the end of the week, Christie’s disappearance had become a national obsession.
Who could have murdered the Queen of Crime? Many suspected Christie’s husband, Colonel Archie Christie, who had struck up an affair with a younger woman named Nancy Neele, and made no attempt to hide his affair from his wife. On the day of Christie’s disappearance, the couple reportedly quarreled after Archie announced he planned to spend the weekend with his mistress.
Agatha was found on December 14th, at the Swan Hydropathic Hotel in Harrogate, England when a musician recognized her. Agatha signed in to the spa as Theresa Neele, strangely using the last name of her husband’s lover. Perhaps disproving the theory that her disappearance was due to amnesia.
Biographer Andrew Norman suggests Agatha was in a fugue state or, more technically, a psychogenic trance, a rare condition brought on by trauma or depression.
Christie rarely discussed the matter and the episode does not appear in her autobiography. In the days after her return, Agatha blamed her vanishing on a mysterious dream state, in which she took on an entirely new identity. “For 24 hours I wandered in a dream, and then found myself in Harrogate as a well-contented and perfectly happy woman who believed she had just come from South Africa.”
Details excerpted from: The Line Up, (Matthew Thompson), History Extra (Andrew Norman) and Hercule Poirot Central.
Writing Prompt: Write whatever inspires you from these details.
OR
Imagine what your fictional character could do. Perhaps show his/her normal activity, an every day scene. Then, the bizarre happens. It can be logical and make sense. Or, it can be totally unpredictable with no logical explanation for what happened.
Just start writing and see what happens.
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Put that in your mustache . . . Prompt #219
As I searched for Agatha Christie quotes for Agatha Christie Week on The Write Spot Blog, I came across this one: “Put that in your mustache and smoke it.” ― Agatha Christie, Hallowe’en Party
I think it’s so funny. Let’s see how it works as a writing prompt.
“Put that in your mustache and smoke it.” Ready? Write!
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Behind the shutters. . . Prompt #218
You can respond to this prompt, using your personal experience, or write from your fictional character’s point of view.Writing Prompt: Behind the shutters.
I would love to see your writing, using this prompt.
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Photo Credit: Pro_Deluxe Photography by Jeff Cullen
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It was a dark and stormy night . . . Prompt #217
Write about a time you were scared.Share your writing here, on The Write Spot Blog.
First time posting: Register. Look for your password in your email. Then, log-in and post your writing.
Photo Credit: Pro_Deluxe Photography by Jeff Cullen
