Category: Prompts

Last night I dreamt about the University of Georgia Arch. My son gave me a selection of photos he took in 2015. He and his fiancée now live in Athens, Georgia, supplying him with a variety of photo opportunities. Thus, the arch.

I dreamt about the arch as a portal—a path—to writing. How we can walk through the portal, like walking through an airport screening arch, and come out on the other side with ideas for writing. It felt like walking towards inspiration—being open to new ideas.

In my dream I saw words over the portal, curving like a rainbow, “This is where dreams are made.” And “Promises are kept or broken.”

Either way, I see these words, these concepts, as inspiration for writing. Okay, I see almost everything as inspiration for writing: song lyrics, opening sentences in books, first lines of poetry. I see interesting items and think “writing prompt.”

Today’s Writing Prompt: Write about your dreams. Or, write about promises made. Or write about the idea of being changed after walking through a portal.

The University of Georgia Arch photo by Pro_Deluxe Photography by Jeff Cullen

“Commissioned in 1856, the Arch was built sometime between then and 1858, but no one can say for sure the exact year it was constructed. It was part of the iron fence erected to secure the campus. Gates were part of the structure, closing off the passageway beneath the Arch at night. The gates disappeared sometime in 1885, likely the victim of a midnight prank.

For most graduates, visiting the Arch after commencement is a rite of passage. Since the 1900s, tradition has held that students may not pass beneath the Arch until they have received a diploma from UGA. Legend has it that the tradition began when Daniel Huntley Redfearn (BL ’09, BS ’10) arrived as a freshman and vowed not to pass beneath the Arch until he had graduated. One of Redfearn’s professors heard the vow and repeated it to his class, and the story stuck.

If only that Arch could talk.

It could tell of political protests and silent vigils, memorials to deceased students, and long lines of happy new graduates waiting to pose for a family photo beside the three pillars of the Arch, which stand for wisdom, justice and moderation.

For 150 years, the black iron arch—fired at the old Athens foundry—has served as the University of Georgia’s most visible symbol. Yet it is cloaked in intrigue, its past a mystery even to the most educated scholars.”

Writing Prompt: Choose a book, write a spoof and submit to Writer’s Digest Reject a Hit.

“In each issue of Writer’s Digest magazine, we ask one reader to step into the role of the unconvinced, perhaps even curmudgeonly or fool-hearted editor. . .

If you’d like to be the one doing the rebuffing, channel the most clueless of editors by humorously rejecting a hit in 300 words. . .

Reject a Hit is humorous, but not mean-spirited. It is not the place to list all the reasons you hate a particular book. To help you understand the spirit of Reject a Hit, browse through the archives of published rejections.”

Books that have been spoofed in the Writer’s Digest Magazine, Reject a Hit column (last page of the magazine):

Note: Amy Marincik (March/April 2013) and Daniel Ari (July/Aug. 2014) are Sonoma County writers (home of The Write Spot Blog). Amy has participated in writing workshops facilitated by Marlene Cullen (host of The Write Spot Blog) and Daniel has been a Writers Forum presenter twice. We liked him so much, we asked him back.

2013

January           Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

March/April    Great Expectations, spoofed by Amy Marincik

May/June        Burning Down My Masters’ House: My Life at the NY Times

July/August    The Exorcist

October           The Lorax

Nov/Dec          The Hobbit

2014

January           The Road

February         The Old Man and The Sea

March/April    Good Night Moon

May/June        Tess of the D’Urbevilles

July/Aug         Tulips & Chimmeys, spoofed by Daniel Ari

September       The Shining

October           Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy

Nov/Dec          Runny Babbitt: A Billy Sook

2015

February         Our Mutual Friend

Mar/April       Middlemarch

May/June        A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning

July/August    First Blood

September       The Bonfire of the Vanities

October           Inferno

Nov/Dec          Winnie-the-Pooh

2016

January           The Scarlet letter

Your Turn:  Come on now, you can do this.  Choose a book, write a humorous rejection and submit to Writers Digest Reject a Hit.

The Sun

New York, New York

DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

VIRGINIA O’HANLON.
115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Dear Reader Here And Now,

You probably know the story:   Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York’s Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps. Newseum

Writing Prompt: Write about something you believed in and later discovered it wasn’t true. Or, write whatever comes for you after reading this story.

Physical gestures do more than enhance dialogue . . .

Writing dialogue usually includes physical gestures— those things we do when we talk.

You don’t have to be exceptionally creative to write realistic action while your characters are dialoguing. Just write whatever it is they are doing:  fingers drumming, shoulders twitching, cell phone glancing, eyes wandering, forehead scratching. So much nonverbal communication going on. Just don’t be boring about it . . . no fingers twirling hair, no lip biting. Like clichés, these are over-used physical gestures.

Here’s what Steven James says in the January 2016 issue of the Writer’s Digest magazine, “If you find your character brushing his nose or repositioning his chair or crossing legs and so forth for no other reason than to provide a respite from the dialogue, recast the scene.

Just as dialogue should reveal the intention of the characters so should the actions that they take while they’re speaking. When we read that a character folded his arms, we’ll naturally wonder why he’s doing that. What is it meant to convey about his attitude or emotional response to what’s happening? Don’t confuse your readers by inserting needless movement. Rather, include action only as long as it adds to the scene or enriches it. If the action doesn’t convey anything essential, drop it.”

Actions and non-verbal communication:

Fingers drumming, arms crossed: Bored, really doesn’t want to listen, disagrees with what is being said. Could be a superior attitude, could be a defensive mechanism.

Twitching, sighing, avoiding eye contact, wandering eyes: Nervous, anxious, being secretive, feeling overwhelmed.

Here’s your mission, if you decide to accept it: Observe actions at coffee shops, in stores, shopping malls, at parties, wherever people gather. Make a list of what people do while engaged in conversation. Pull out your list next time you are writing dialogue.

Writing Prompt: Make a list of things people do while conversing.

You are invited to join our Festive Spirit Blog Hop . . . just as carolers stroll while entertaining, Francis A. Powell has organized several bloggers to entertain and inform us. Hop on over to Powell’s home page. Scroll down, choose a name, click on it and you will be transported to another dimension.  Enjoy!

 

‘Twas the night before the party and all through the house, everyone was hurrying with too much to do, even the mouse!

Sound familiar? I was frustrated with too much scurrying before I learned strategies about how to manage holiday stress. As I gathered ideas, I felt calm and at peace. Let’s create an enjoyable holiday season.  It does involve list making. So get some paper and a pen. These lists will help you focus on making your holidays less stressful and more enjoyable.

The six key steps to reduce holiday stress are inventory, decide, accept, choose favorites, enlist and manage.

Take inventory. Make a list of all the extra activities you do during the holidays. Be sure to include baking, making crafts, decorating, cleaning, helping at church, attending parties, shopping, wrapping, making travel plans, driving around to see decorations and meeting guests at the airport.

Next: Go through your inventory list and cross out the activities that have little value to you, or that you don’t enjoy.

Decide what you value about the holidays. Make a list of what is important to you during the holidays. Take a look at what works for your family and what no longer has meaning.

Decide which activities are realistic and cross off the ones that are difficult to achieve. Decide which  traditions are truly meaningful and which are merely habitual. Choose one activity you can skip this year. After the holidays, if it felt wrong, you can always reinstate that activity next year.

Acceptance will help you create a celebration that meets your unique needs. As you evaluate your list, look at what you don’t like about your holiday celebration. Decide if it’s changeable, or if you need to accept it. Sometimes compromise is an acceptable solution.

Choose favorites. Ask family members what they liked best about last year’s holiday season and what they would enjoy doing this year. Sometimes the simplest activities get the highest ratings. Try to pick one activity or food to please each person. Rather than making twenty different kinds of cookies, make only one or two favorites.

I used to think I had to have homemade gifts for everyone and participate in glittery crafts. When I admitted I don’t like craft-making, I felt lighter and more energetic to do the things I enjoy.

There is no one right way to celebrate. Take control of the celebration and shape it to conform to your wishes and values.

Enlist help from family members and friends. Show them your to-do lists and ask for help. We invited several families to our house last year for a holiday celebration. I absolutely needed help. I made a complete list of everything that had to be done, using such categories as furniture (rearranging), drinks (arranging glasses and chilling bottles), tables (setting up extra tables), cars (making room for guests’ cars), food (preparation and serving), miscellaneous and laundry (yes, I even included this on the to-do list). When family members saw all that had to be done, they were very willing to help.

Manage holiday stress by taking care of yourself. The obvious is to eat well, get enough rest, avoid sugar and alcohol. The not so obvious is to remember to release stress through gentle stretching, brisk walking, listening to soothing music, practicing yoga or whatever helps to de-stress and relax.

Many of these ideas are from Unplug the Christmas Machine, by Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staeheli.

The main components of a successful holiday season are to be aware and choose wisely.

Make conscious choices about how you want to celebrate the holidays. Decide what is important and what no longer works.

If we follow this plan, our new story could be, ‘Twas the night before the party and all through the house, everyone was sleeping peacefully, even the host and hostess.

Writing Prompt: Write a magical, whimsical, unrealistic, impractical, not-gonna-happen holiday scene.

Then: Write a practical holiday scene. . . using ideas from your lists: Take inventory, decide, accept, choose favorites, enlist and manage.

With new ways of thinking and some planning, you will create a holiday you can enjoy.