Compose a telegram — a brief note that could be sent over the wires. Oh, I guess this sounds like an email, or a text message. But doesn’t “telegram” sound dramatic and perhaps romantic? Nostalgic for some people, a curiosity for others. So . . . write a telegram to someone who has touched your life in a significant way. Have your message tell him or her something you wish you could say in person. Or, if the person is no longer in your life, what do you wish you could have said? You could also write a telegram to or from your fictional character. Idea inspired from From Family Tales, Family Wisdom — How to gather the stories of a lifetime and share them with your family, by Dr. Robert U. Akeret with Daniel Klein
Tag: just write
Write about something that happened . . . Prompt #120
Write about something that happened to you this week. It can be something big, or something small. Maybe something you saw or observed. Perhaps something or someone touched you in a meaningful way. Write, using great detail. Or write sparse. Just write! Prompt: Write about something that happened to you this week. Photo by Breana Marie
Sweet memories are woven from the good times
Sweet memories are woven from the good times. Author unknown. From Marlene: Your writing comes from memory, imagination, good times and bad. Share your memories through your writing. Create good times for readers. Weave your words, like threads on a loom, into a pattern that others can enjoy. Share your story.
“. . the best prize that life offers . . .
“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” — Theodore Roosevelt, from a speech given in Syracuse, New York (September 7, 1903) From Real Simple magazine, September 2014 Note from Marlene: Your writing, your work matters. Just write!
Broad Street hopes to create engaging platforms. . .
Broad Street is a nonprofit magazine featuring great true stories told in many different ways. At Broad Street, we hope to create an engaging platform where writing, poetry, and artwork can come together in one space to be enjoyed both by longtime fans of creative nonfiction and by those who are new to this exciting form. We are always looking for more talent to feature in the magazine, so if you have an interesting piece of writing or art please feel free to submit through Tell it Slant.
Write about a gift. . . Prompt #119
Part 1: Write about a gift someone gave you that you didn’t like, didn’t know what to do with or had no use for. Part 2: What does this gift say about the person who gave it to you? Whenever there is a prompt like this, you can also write about the opposite. Part 1A: Write about a gift you loved, a gift that was a surprise in a good way, a gift that worked really well. Part 1B: What does this gift say about the person who gave it to you?
Challenging situation. . . Prompt #118
Sometimes you don’t know how you will act when faced with a difficult or a life threatening situation . . . until you are in the throes of it. Write about a time you were in a challenging situation. Use sensory detail. OR: Write about one of your fears. . . from a fictional character’s point of view. . . write about “the worst thing that can happen” . . . then, have your hero or heroine conquer the problem. Ready? Set? Okay. . . think about one of your fears that just won’t go away. Bring your character to life with those fearful thoughts and emotions. Now write. Just write! This is similar to Prompt #47. . . only this time, have your character kick butt.
“The biggest difference between a writer and a would-be writer . . .”
“The biggest difference between a writer and a would-be writer is their attitude toward rewriting. . . . Unwillingness to revise usually signals an amateur.” — Sol Stein
An epiphany . . . Prompt #117
* “An epiphany is a sudden realization of a significant event. At that special moment, a life meaning becomes clear to you —an insight into your personality, a discovery of something you value or believe in, an acute sense of where you are in life. Here’s an Epiphany Tale one elder told to her family: I must have been around seven or eight. It was summer, and we were visiting my aunt Clara up at Crystal Lake. I was alone, lying on my back by the banks of the lake, looking up at the sky, and I had my harmonica in my mouth. I was just breathing through it, in and out, not playing a melody, simply breathing. And suddenly, I was overcome with this wonderful feeling of connection to everything in the world. I’d say now it was a spiritual feeling. I listened to the sound my breathing made…
Seeing red. Prompt #116
Today’s writing prompt: Seeing red. Photo credits: Red door – Colby Drake Children and backpacks – Kent Sorensen Holiday table – Laura Plunk Davis Coffee – Laura Plunk Davis Holiday scene – Jane Person Red car – Marlene Cullen