What is the cloud hanging over you?
What is the cloud that surrounds you now?
Write about a situation or feeling that’s so all-encompassing it’s hard to see forward or back, left or right.
Then, write about seeing a rainbow after the clouds disperse.
Today’s writing prompt is inspired by Rebecca Rebouché, Prompt 106. of Suleika Jaouad‘s “The Isolation Journals.”
Quotes from The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt.
“You don’t grow up missing what you never had, but throughout life there is hovering over you an inescapable longing for something you never had.” — Susan Sontag
“As a child, you generally aren’t aware that your family is different from any other. You have no frame of reference.” — Anderson Cooper
Writing Prompts:
Can you miss what you don’t know?
Can you miss what you didn’t have?
What, or who, do you miss?
Write about an inescapable longing.
Imagine you, or your fictional character, are six years old.
It’s time to sit on Santa’s lap. What happens?
Or, what doesn’t happen?
Back in the day we called the December-January school break: Christmas Break.
We called Columbus Day: Columbus Day.
We didn’t care about calories, especially on Thanksgiving and for holiday meals.
We played outside with kids in our neighborhood.
We “scrolled” through comic books.
We danced to music from jukeboxes.
Writing Prompt: Back in the day.
What do you need?
Right now. What do you need?
Other prompts relating to need:
What do you need to hear? Lin Manuel Miranda pondered this question and the result is surprising.
Want vs need. Discovering wants versus needs.
What can you control?
What can you let go of?
If you could invite anyone to share a meal with, dead or alive, who would you invite and why?
“Your main job as a writer is to transport the reader to a fictional world, as in a dream. ” — “The Geyser Approach to Revision,” James Scott Bell, July/August 2011 Writer’s Digest Magazine
You probably know this, but perhaps you’re stuck with knowing how to achieve that. A big part is the revision process.
The following steps for revision are based on the Writer’s Digest article.
Write Hot. Revise cool.
Wait two weeks after writing to begin the revision process. Then, read fast as if you were a first-time reader. Take notes about what needs fixing.
Capture original emotions you felt when writing.
Listen to music that evokes the mood of your story.
“Music reaches a part of your mind that you usually have inactive when analyzing. Wake it up and put it to work with tunes.”
Create a collage to capture a visual representation of your work to keep you inspired and focused.
Scenes
Analyze every scene.
Make sure every scene is strong with:
~ A single point of view
~ A clear objective for the character
~ Tension
~ Conflict
~ An emotional struggle
~ A compelling reason for the reader to keep reading
Revision Process
A crucial part of the revision process involves making sure all your details are as strong as they possibly can be, that no word is underutilized or wasted.
Sensory Detail
As you revise, determine where you can add sensory detail: visual, sound, taste, smell, touch, and extrasensory perception.
Specific Details
Give your characters distinguishing characteristics.
Gestures, repetitive actions, hobbies, food likes, facial expressions, musical preferences, jobs.
Posts about sensory detail on The Write Spot Blog
The neurological impact of sensory detail.
If you, or your fictional character, could learn a foreign language, what would it be and why?
Or: Write about your experience with learning another language.