Prompt One Make a list of things that surprised or astonished you or made you feel uncomfortable. Something from a long time ago or recently. Just a list for now. Prompt Two Using your list, make a list of emotions you felt either during what you experienced or emotions you felt today or are feeling right now. For example: Fear, anger, surprise, annoyance, joy, angst, acceptance Prompt Three A metaphor compares two unlike things to show a relationship without using “like” or “as.” Metaphors imply that one thing is another. Examples of metaphors: Chaos is a friend of mine. —Bob Dylan You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog, cryin’ all the time. —Elvis Presley Darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream. —Taylor Swift My heart, a church where no one prays. Lonely pews and smudged stained glass. The Forever Workshop Writing Prompt: Choose an emotion from your list. Write what happened that caused…
Category: Prompts
Our brains like order . . . Prompt #852
“Our brains like order,” explains Kristi Phillips, a Minnesota-based psychologist “having less stimuli around us helps promote relaxation.” She points out the popularity of home-decluttering Reels and TikToks, as well as TV series such as Get Organized With the Home Edit and Hot Mess House. “But while we enjoy the afterglow of a cleaned-out junk drawer, we still procrastinate when it comes to tackling more complex areas of clutter in our lives. When we’re trying to declutter our own spaces, we have an emotional attachment to those items,” she says. “Whether there are memories linked to those objects or simply the guilt of getting rid of something you spent money on, the task of mentally weighing each item can be overwhelming, with a video, you see the fast-forward of how quick it is … so it gives us that hope and positivity of, Oh, I can do that too.” — “Why Watching Decluttering Videos…
Can’t explain . . . Prompt #851
Write about something you can’t explain. Something that makes no sense that’s happening to you now, or happened in the past. #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter
A quirk . . . Prompt #850
Write about a quirk you have. It could be something you do, or participate in, or watch. There may not be a logical explanation for this, except that it brings you joy or satisfaction. #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter
Photo prompt. An owl . . . Prompt #849
Today’s writing prompt is a photo of an owl. Photo by Marlene Cullen Here’s what happened: I looked out my kitchen window and saw the most majestic owl sitting on the roof of our shed. She (he?) literally took my breath away. I took a picture through the window. Then I went outside to take a better look and a better photo. She swiveled her head and looked right at me. I snapped a photo. Then she flew away to the top of a pole. Poetry in flight. My friend Kathy, who works at a bird sanctuary, said it’s a juvenile great horned owl. Prompt: Photo of an owl Just Write! #iamwriting #iamawriter #justwrite
Mondegreen . . . Prompt #848
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…
Beyond Your Neighborhood . . . Prompt #847
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
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~!
What’s bugging you? . . . Prompt #845
Writing Prompt:What’s bugging you? Just Write! #amwriting #iamawriter #justwrite
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 ThreeFrom Facebook post by Interesting World, April 24, 2025: Sometimes, the real reason for…