Writing prompt: Windows. Or, more specifically: Peeking into windows. Imagine it’s Halloween Eve. Or Christmas Eve. Or New Year’s Eve. You are walking and see lights in windows. Peek into a window. What do you see?
Category: Prompts
Number Please. Prompt #534
Do you remember the phone number you grew up with? Write about a memorable conversation on that phone or a memorable conversation in the kitchen or living room or bedroom of your childhood home.
Never The Same . . . Prompt #533
Today’s prompt is inspired by a poem I wrote in response to the fires that ravaged Northern California, October 2017 and to the devastation throughout the world. The sentiments seem true today, especially “adjusting to a new normal” and the feelings of frustration, anger, and hope. October 10, 2017 by Marlene Cullen Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Santa Rosa will never be the same.Las Vegas concert goers will never be the same.Hurricane victims will never be the same.This City, That City . . . the list too long. new perspectivesnew fearsnew ways of thinking frustrated with natureangry with wrong-doersangry with bureaucracyangry in general now we know what we don’t want to knowthe unimaginable can happenthere are no guarantees what will we take awaywhat have we learnedwhat do we need we need time to processwe know the five-year droughtand the heavy rainsmade tinder that caught sparksfueled by heavy windscreating flying embers but the…
Boost Dialogue with Beats . . . Prompt #532
Too much dialogue can be boring to read. Interspersing action with dialogue makes a story interesting. In real life, we don’t talk without movement, neither should characters on a page. Plus, action gives clues to the character’s personality, habits, status and more. For example: “I dunno,” Remy said. Well, kind of boring. But what if detail were added: “I dunno,” Remy said, polishing the top of his boot along the back of his jeans. Readers can “see” this action and learn more about Remy’s character. Beats “Dialogue benefits from variety. A good way to maintain reader’s interest is to insert a variety of beats into dialogue. Beats are descriptions of physical action that fall between lines of speech.” —“Amp Up Dialogue With Emotional Beats,” by Todd A. Stone, Nov/Dec 2010 Writers Digest Facial Expressions Facial expressions signal emotions. “When a character raises an eyebrow or furrows his brow, this action,…
What energizes you? Prompt #531
What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?What do you look forward to? What energizes you?
A Blues Poem . . . Prompt #530
A blues poem takes on themes of struggle, despair, bad weather, any suffering. It can also be funny: Fruit Flies Everywhere. Three-line Blues Poetry A statement in the first line, A variation in the second line, an ironic alternative in the third line. My baby walked out that door. My baby walked out and now my broken door won’t open up no more. And I had to walk back to Texas. I had to get on my feet cuz my baby she took my Lexus. Four-line: When a woman gets the blues She hangs her head and cries But when a man gets the blues He hops on a freight train and rides With both types, you can continue the pattern. You can also repeat lines. You can write something in narration, then pull out lines to condense for a poem. You can start with these lines: When I woke…
Collage in Poetry . . . Prompt #529
I would like to share collage in writing with you, some things I learned from the poet Dave Seter. His poem, “Fargo Airport, Waiting in a Bar” in The Write Spot: Writing as a Path to Healing is an example of using collage in poetry. The lines in italics in his poem are from signs on the wall and on the label on a bottle. He seamlessly incorporates “lines from others” into his poetry. Look around you . . . what writing do you see that you can use in your writing? Perhaps: A book title, a greeting card, writing on décor, writing on a tissue box, or a piece of mail. Or: A note you have written, writing on a coffee mug, a sign on a wall. A label on a jar, a can, or a bottle. You can also use song lyrics as a jumping off point for…
When I was in 7th grade . . . Prompt #528
When I was in the seventh grade . . . Fill in the rest . . . what happened when you were in seventh grade?
When I was six years old . . . Prompt #527
When I was six years old . . . Finish the sentence: When I was six years old . . .
What have you been thinking about? Prompt #526
What have you been thinking about lately? I’ve been thinking about hair. The following is an excerpt from My Generation magazine, Sept-Oct 2001. “You can’t say hair without muttering a bitter, Ha! Hair is the Achilles’ heel atop our skulls: the curse of baldness, the pathos of the comb-over, the futility of the hairpiece. The double cross of auburn, chestnut, raven locks—your crowning glory—suddenly blanching the color of steel wool. Curly hair that won’t straighten, straight hair that won’t curl. The heartbreak of the impermanent wave, the bungled dye jobs, split ends, dandruff. Every head of hair in the civilized world is shackled to a monthly treadmill of maintenance, overhaul and gardening, hostage to the grooming industry and its literal clip joints. You could buy a new Ferrari with the money you shell out over a lifetime for the upkeep of that mat of third-rate fur.” Prompt: Hair Or: What…