Today’s writing prompt is not the usual 15-20 minute freewrite. Instead, it’s a bit more challenging and will take time to pursue. When you are ready for the challenge . . . Create a pastiche. “Pastiche (pronounced pass-TEESH) is a creative work that imitates another author or genre. It’s a way of paying respect, or honor, to great works of the past. Pastiche differs from parody in that pastiche isn’t making fun of the works it imitates – however, the tone of pastiche is often humorous.” Examples of Pastiche The TV show 30 Rock is about a television studio, so there are plenty of opportunities for pastiche. In various episodes, the show mimics classic shows like “The Brady Bunch” or “Seinfeld” and major television events like the Olympics. From the tone of the show, it’s clear that these imitations come from a place of irreverent love, so they fall into the category of pastiche rather than parody. Pastiche is common in music,…
Category: Prompts
Cool Desserts . . . Prompt #590
July is National Ice Cream Month Write about a memorable ice cream or cool dessert. Or write about interesting or unusual ice cream desserts. Wicked Slush Dave and Julie Pokorny have created a destination experience in Petaluma, CA with their unique Wicked Slush. Soft serve with a twist. “Back East, it was Carvel. The creamiest, dreamiest, tallest, most improbable tower of soft serve ice cream, covered in chocolate magic shell. Remember? You had to crack through the shell to get to the goodness inside. Well, in Petaluma, we have Wicked. Creamy, dreamy, towering swirls of soft serve ice cream, made from local, organic Straus Family Creamery Dairy. Now imagine this in not only chocolate or vanilla, but in any one of 26 different flavors! And that magic shell? How about 6 different flavors? How about this concoction sitting in a crunchy sweet waffle cone? Yep. That’s how we roll at Wicked.”…
Too dangerous . . . Prompt #589
Writing Prompt: It’s much too dangerous to talk about . . .
An idyllic afternoon . . . Prompt #588
I have the good fortune of belonging to a Facebook Group called Hygge Life. A group that posts phenomenal photos and all positive comments. Recently, someone posted photos of her inspirational garden in Essex Coast, UK, with this invitation: “Hygge friends! Come take a little stroll with me to my favourite corner of the garden! We can sit a while and sip on our tea/coffee/tissane and gaze at the craziness of our raised veggie beds, the beginnings of the sweet pea pyramid, the formal and wild flowers and listen and watch as the busy white bottomed bees gather pollen! We can stay a while and chit chat about all things Hygge or . . . just listen, smell, and look at the wonder of Mother Nature. Come join me!” Writing Prompt: Imagine being in this garden, sitting at the blue table, across from a friend. What would you chat about?…
Carry on . . . Prompt #587
Writing Prompt: Carry on. Sometimes a word or a phrase enters my mind and I think “that would be a good prompt.” That’s what happened for today’s prompt. But then I wondered, why did this phrase pop into my head. What have I been thinking about? In the July 2021 issue (page 51), Sonoma County Gazette book reviewer Diane McCurdy compared the genesis of The Write Spot: Musings and Ravings From a Pandemic Year with Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron: “In the 14th century when the plague, the black death, was ravaging through the cities of Italy, a writer and a group of friends fled Florence to the caves above the city and to alleviate boredom in what was one of the first sheltering in place locales, they told stories. Giovanni Boccaccio recorded those stories in what became a classic, The Decameron.” I didn’t know about this, never heard of it….
Chance Encounters . . . Prompt #586
Writing Prompt: Chance encounters . . . what are the chances?
If you could . . . Prompt #585
If you could be anywhere in the world, where would you like to be right now? What would you be doing?
Belong. Prompt #584
The characters in the Broadway show and the movie, In The Heights, chase their dreams and ask: “Where do I belong?” West Side Story is also about finding one’s place, illustrated in the song “Somewhere:” Someday, somewhereWe’ll find a new way of livingWe’ll find a way of forgivingSomewhere There’s a place for usSomewhere a place for usPeace and quiet and open airWait for us somewhere Prompt: Write about a time you felt out of place. A place where you didn’t belong, but there you were. What did you do? What did you feel? Have you found Your Place?
Baba Yetu . . . Prompt #583
“Baba Yetu” sung in Swahili by the Stellenbosch University Choir. The Prompt: Listen to this amazing choir. Then write whatever comes up for you. Or: Write about a musical experience. Or: Write about connections.
What calls to you? Prompt #582
It feels to me like we’re coming down from a precipice, a surreal 15 months. As we enter this new phase, what calls to you? What are you ready to let go of? How can you release or lighten the load you carry? Prompt inspired from “Where Do You Hang Your Hammock?” by Bella Mahaya Carter.