The Write Spot Blog by Marlene Cullen

Category: Prompts

  • Lost . . . Prompt #815

    As you write on this prompt, if there is pain or hurt, put your hand where the pain is.

    If you can’t put your hand there, put your thoughts there, as you take deep breaths.

    Take a deep breath now, put your focus on where there is pain as you take a deep breath in. And release your breath.

    Take another deep breath in. Let it out.

    Prompt inspired from Kate Braestrup’s Memoir, “Here If You Need me.”

    Consider the things you have lost:

    ~ Opportunities

    ~ People

    ~Jobs

    ~ An important item

    ~ A favorite item

    Write about that loss, but instead of letting the story lead you towards pain, start from where it hurts and move forward from there.

    Describe how you regained sanity, confidence, and the other things you have needed in order to maintain your healthy connection with life.

    Perhaps there are allies and amulets that helped you proceed on your quest, like the Hero’s Journey.

    If you have trouble with this, use the “as if” method.

    Write as if you regained sanity or confidence, or as if you are on the path towards mental, physical, and emotional health.

    #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter

  • A special person . . . Prompt #814

    My grandmother (Nana) making noodles with my sister and my niece, circa 1974.

    Write about a special person in your life. The person can be alive or no longer living. It could also be an animal.

    #justwrite #iamawriter #amwriting

  • Halloween: Fun or a trickster? Prompt #813


    pexels-photo-1480861.jpeg
    Photo by Aleksandar Cvetanovic on Pexels.com

    It’s Halloween week.

    Does this mean anything special to you? Or, ho-hum, just another day/evening?

    Did you go trick-or-treating as a child? With siblings, cousins, friends?

    If yes, where did you go?

    What was that like?

    Describe your favorite and least favorite Halloween costume that you wore.

    What clever or interesting Halloween costumes have you seen? Where did you see this?

    Is Halloween week a fun time for you? Or is it a trickster, something you really don’t like?

    If you worked with children/students, what was / is Nov. 1 like?

    #justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter

  • Did you wear a uniform? Prompt #812

    Did you wear a uniform for work or school?

    If yes, describe the uniform.

    What were your duties while wearing this uniform?

    Worst part of the duties and uniform?

    Best part of the duties and uniform?

    OR:

    What is your reaction when you see somebody in uniform?

    Marching band, sports uniform, law enforcement, firefighter, doctor (white lab coat or scrubs), prison inmate, postal workers, FedEx and UPS employees, private security guard, housekeeping staff, life guard, food delivery person, etc.

  • How to Create Memorable Writing . . . Prompt #811

    a close up shot of letter dice
    Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.com

    How to make your writing memorable.

    Step 1. Choose something you have written.

    Step 2. Circle all to-be verbs.

    Step 3. Replace “to be” verbs with strong verbs.

    Step 4. Rewrite, using the idea of “show, don’t tell.”

    Links to blog posts about strong and memorable writing:

    Why Should You Use Strong Verbs?

    Strengthen Your Writing

    How to be a better writer

    Sparks, memorable writing on The Write Spot Blog

  • A place or time you want to return to . . . Prompt #810

    In “The Wizard of Oz,” the tinman wants a heart, the scarecrow a brain, the lion wants courage. And, of course, Dorothy wants to go home.

    Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, and Professor Marvel also want Dorothy to return safely home.

    Their neighbor Almira Gulch wants to capture Dorothy’s dog, Toto.

    Is the Wizard of Oz a charlatan, like Professor Marvel?  Or is he a bumbling, absent-minded imposter?

    And, of course, Dorothy must overcome obstacles before she can return home.

    And then there is the wicked witch, the Munchkins, the monkeys, the hired hands, and of course, Glinda, the good witch, or is she a witch?

    Which Oz character do you identify with?

    What do you want? In general, what do you want?

    Is there a place or time you want to return to?

  • Body Awareness . . . Prompt #809

    a man and a woman posing as bronze statue
    Photo by KoolShooters on Pexels.com

    October is breast cancer awareness month.
    I would like to expand to body awareness.
    Write about an illness or a physical change you, or someone you know, went through.
    Include your age and who was involved.
    How did you find out about the illness?
    What was the next step?
    What happened?
    Are you still affected by this illness/physical change?

    #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter

  • Fish out of water . . . Prompt #808

    Photo by David Zinn

    Prompt: A fish out of water story.

    Write about a time you felt like a fish out of water, where you didn’t fit in, or you wondered if you belonged.

    Inspired by Sept/Oct 2024 Writer’s Digest, “Level Up Your Writing Life,” by Sharon Short.

    #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter

  • Are you an introvert or an extrovert or a combination? Prompt #807

    According to Diane Stark, author of “Life of the Party,” a Chicken Soup story in “Be You:”

    “If your favorite activity is a busy one that involves lots of people, you are an extrovert. If your activity is a quiet, solitary pursuit, you are an introvert. The vast majority of writers are introverts. It’s just how we’re wired.”

    Diane discovered, “I am a social introvert. It’s someone who is outgoing, but also requires alone time to be healthy.”

    Prompt: Are you an introvert, an extrovert, or a combination?

    List your three favorite activities.

    Are these things you do by yourself or in a small group, or with a lot of other people?

    When you are tired or stressed, what activity appeals to you most?

    After being by yourself all day, are you anxious to be around other people?

    Or, do you need downtime to recover?

    What energizes you?

    What restores your equilibrium?

    Just Write!

    #amwriting #iamawriter #justwrite

  • We Don’t Talk About That . . . Prompt #806

    Armando Garcia-Dávila’s Youtube Talk inspired this prompt:

    We don’t talk about that . . .

    Just Write!

    #justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter