Writing Prompt: As a teenager, I would never . . .
Category: Prompts
Got away with it . . . Prompt #752
Sit back. Relax into your chair. Take a deep breath in. Hold. Release. Empty your mind. Let go of thoughts. Settle your mind. Remember back to your teenage years. Full of promise and full of hope for fun. Hope that special someone notices you. Looking forward to fun times. Hope you won’t get caught doing whatever you weren’t supposed to be doing. Because this was a time to take risks, to sneak past authority, to try new behavior. Prompt: Write about one of those times . . . you got away with something you shouldn’t have been doing.
Delights . . . Prompt #751
There are big delights . . . being treated to a meal, a stimulating conversation where the other person looks right at you and hears you. Medium delights . . . And small delights . . Write about something that delighted you. Writing Prompt: Delights Prompt inspired by “The Book of Delights” by Ross Gay.
Kindness . . . Prompt #750
Write about a time someone was kind to you, especially when you didn’t expect it. Or, write about a kindness you witnessed. Or, a kindness you showed someone. Write Spot prompts about kindness: Kindness. Prompt #482 A Time You Fumbled. Prompt #602 Random Acts of Kindness. Prompt #698 #justwrite #iamawriter #iamwriting
Birth Day . . . Prompt #749
Remember self-care when writing about difficult topics: Get up, walk around. Take a sip of water or herbal tea. Choose something in your surroundings to look at when the writing gets difficult. Look at that focal point as a reminder to breathe. Take a deep breath in. Hold. And release. Take a few more calming breaths. Write this in your notebook or on a piece of paper. What I really want to say . . . I remember . . . I don’t remember . . . If you are stuck with writing, you can use one of these phrases and go from there. Writing Prompt: Birth Day Think about your Birth Day. Maybe you had many birthday parties. Maybe you had a handful of parties, or one or two. Maybe your Birth Day is a big deal and you wildly celebrate. Or, maybe you are the quiet type, preferring…
Change . . . Scary or exciting? Prompt #748
Is change scary or exciting for you? With a palpitating heart, sweaty palms, and a fluttering stomach, I changed the name of my Facebook/Meta Writing Page from “Writers Forum” to: “Marlene Cullen’s Write Spot,” to better reflect what this Facebook page is about. But, I wonder, why was I nervous . . . okay . . . scared to do this? I think the answer is: Consequences. I didn’t know if it would trigger an avalanche of problems. I was willing to take my changes. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge and make a change. Writing Prompt: Is change scary or exciting? Or: Sometimes you have to take the plunge. Write about a time you took a chance and made a change. What happened? #justwrite #iamawriter #iamwriting
Start with a list . . . Prompt #747
A freewrite is . . . writing freely with no thoughts nor worries about the outcome. When you write in this unrestricted style, brush off the editor that sits on your shoulder. Let go of your worries and fears. Just write. Our big stories come from our little stories. Sometimes the big story is too much to write about. So, break it down into bite-sized pieces. Making lists might help organize your thoughts. Lowlights . . . Highlights Our normal, everyday lives contain lowlights and highlights. Spend a few minutes making some lists. List #1 Lowlights Regrets Things you wish hadn’t happened What you would like to do over List #2 Highlights Warm memories Happy thoughts What you would like to do again List #3 Just Weird Weird things that happened Writing Prompt #1: Choose an item from one of your lists. Write about what happened. Who? What? When? Where?…
Hop, skip, jump . . . Prompt #746
Below is a list of things you may have experienced. As you read the list, when a word causes a reaction . . . when you notice a feeling in your body . . . use that word or phrase as a writing prompt and start writing. Write about where you were and who was with you. If you ate it, played with it, read it, or wore it, write about it. Add sensory detail of texture . . . what did these things feel like? Add your memory of taste, smell, sound, and what the item looked like. And, of course, you may have also experienced these things as a teen-ager and as an adult. Just Write! Jello salad Hot Wheels Roller Skates Sugar Frosted Flakes Poodle skirt Hopscotch Petticoats Barbie dolls Marbles Jacks Skipping Nancy Drew books Jump rope Little League Drive-in movies Hula hoop Trampoline Parks Used…
Childhood Stories . . . Prompt #745
Stories from our childhood can be rich material to write about. Let’s start with going back in time. See yourself at 6 years of age, five years, 4 years. See yourself at the kitchen table where you ate breakfast. Maybe swinging your legs because your feet couldn’t reach the floor. Listen. Hear the adult chatter. Maybe there was no ‘round the kitchen table time for you. Maybe it was a picnic table, or a dining room table. Perhaps there was no table. Maybe family time was in the family room, or the TV room, the den, or the rumpus room. Possibly there was no family time. Friends might have been significant in your child life. Maybe most of your childhood was spent outside. Take a deep breath in. Let it out. See the room or the place where you spent a lot of time as a child. Write about that…
Outside the Norm . . . Prompt #744
“Totem of Confessions” by Michael Garlington at Burning Man What have you done that is “outside the norm?” Been to Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert? “Burning Man is all about self-expression and the rejection of corporatism and capitalism. The experience of creating and viewing art and living in the moment is Burning Man’s purpose.” —Reno Gazette Journal, Aug. 31, 2022 Or, perhaps something like seeing the musical Hair, “where friends struggle to balance their young lives, loves and the sexual revolution, with their rebellion against the war, their conservative parents, and society.” Writing Prompt: Write about an experience you have had that is “outside the norm.” #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter