~ Write for 5 minutes about something difficult, challenging, or painful. It’s only five minutes. Go ahead. Do it now. We’ll wait. Humming in the background while writing gets done. Quiet while writing gets done. Are you still reading? Write! Just write. For five minutes. After five minutes . . . ~ Write for 5 minutes about something comforting, happy, or joyous. Yes, you. Now. Just write. Go ahead. We’ll wait. Waiting. Waiting. Patiently waiting. I’ll write, too. After five minutes . . . ~ Write for 5 minutes about images of nature, the natural world. Hmm . . . what will you choose from nature to write about? Feathers, rocks, trees, birds, rocks, dirt, peach blossoms, river, waterfall, penguins, geese. Write whatever comes up for you about nature. Shhh. . . Writers are working here. Doing what we do. Writing. Just writing. Keep on writing. For five minutes. Next…
Category: Prompts
An object that “speaks” to you. Prompt #430
Picture the house or apartment you grew up in. If there was more than one house or apartment, choose one to focus on for this writing. Imagine standing outside, looking at the door you usually entered. Stand outside for a moment. Walk in and wander until you see a piece of furniture that speaks to you. Describe the object. Write about the memories and feelings it brings up for you. Write until you feel done with this object. Another time write about another object from your childhood or adolescence.
Secret Anniversary. . . Prompt #429
From Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach From the June 15 page: “The Secret Anniversaries of the Heart” The holiest of all holidays are those Kept by ourselves in silence and apart, The secret anniversaries of the heart . . —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow This is the traditional month for orange blossoms, lace, and rice, but wedding anniversaries aren’t on my mind. Today I am thinking of singular rites of passage, the secret anniversaries of the heart. These are the anniversaries we never talk about, kept in silence and apart. You might remember a first kiss, while I can’t forget the last time I held my father’s hand. I was speaking to a good friend this morning on the telephone. She was enjoying the preparation of a special dinner for a marvelous new man in her life. Last year her marriage of twenty years ended and she says she’s grateful her…
Shhhh . . . Prompt #428
Today’s writing prompt: Opening line from Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts: “You must not tell anyone, my mother said, what I’m about to tell you.” Or: You must not tell anyone . . . Or: My mother said . . .
When I was a teenager . . . Prompt # 427
Today’s writing prompt: When I was a teenager, I especially loved to . . . Or: When I was a teenager, I hated to . . . Or, simply: When I was a teenager. . . Just start writing and see where it takes you.
Doorway and light. Prompt # 426
Picture yourself standing in a doorway. What kind of light is in front of you? What kind of light is behind you? Set a timer for 15 minutes. And write.
Animal Crackers. Prompt # 425
Today’s writing prompt: Animal Crackers. Set your timer for 15 minutes and write.
Most formal . . . or bizarre event . . . Prompt #424
Write about the most formal event you have attended. Or, write about the most loose, informal, or bizarre event you have attended. Just write!
Something special . . . Prompt #423
Do you have something special that belonged to someone who is no longer alive? Why is it meaningful to you? Or write about something that is meaningful and why.
Word Problems . . . Prompt #422
Remember math word problems? If x = a + c, then what does b equal? If Johnny and Tony want to end up at the same place and at the same time, why didn’t they just travel together? Prompt: Word problems