Tag: writing freely

You might know that I facilitate Jumpstart writing workshops. One day, a participant read her freewrite which contained the phrase, “Despair and broken promises.” I immediately thought that would make a great writing prompt.  What do you think? And that reminds me, during this season of many deaths, if you need to write a condolence note and are stymied about what to write, take a look at “The Condolence Note – What to Write.”  You might get some ideas. Today’s writing prompt:  Despair and broken promises. Post your writing on The Write Spot Blog and I’ll offer commentary  . . . always positive.

Today’s Writing Prompt: What do you cherish?  

Write about a difficult time . . . something that happened to you or something you witnessed that made your stomach churn. Perhaps a crisis, or an argument, a disagreement. Write about an event that got you hot under the collar. Write as if you were a reporter narrating the facts. This happened and then that happened. See your story and tell it. How to write without adding trauma. 

Write about something you traditionally go to . . . The Nutcracker, a sports event, a debate, a poetry slam, Grandma’s house, Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, the beach, the mountains, skiing, Hawaii, the movies on Christmas Eve, out to dinner on an anniversary, watching fireworks at . . . , Disneyland, Friday night movies, family dinner on Sunday, the flea market, farmer’s market, bowling on New Year’s Eve. Write about something you traditionally go to.

I refuse to ignore autumn. I refuse to go from Halloween straight to Christmas. So let’s give a cheer for this wonderful time of year. . . Autumn. Before the hectic holidays begin, savor this moment. The slant of the sun casts a soft glow, highlighting fall colors of yellows, burnt oranges, umber and browns. Pause and enjoy the wonderful golden light of autumn. Recently, I looked everywhere for a garland of fabric autumn leaves to decorate the archway between my kitchen and dining room.  None of the usual suspects had them in stock.  “Oh, you missed it by a week,” said a store clerk amidst Christmas decorations . . . on November first. A friend told me about gluten-free oatmeal with quinoa at Raley’s. Sounded good, so I headed there. I strolled the seasonal section, as I had been doing in every store, looking for that elusive autumnal garland.  I…

Let’s do some relaxation exercises before writing. Settle into your chair.  Feet flat on floor. Hands relaxed. Rotate shoulders in a circle. Reverse direction. Stretch arms out in front. Arms overhead. Arms to the side. Big deep breath in. Hold. Let go. Feel your feet connected to the floor. That connection goes down into the earth, way down, deep down, to the center of the earth. Firmly planted, deeply rooted. Take a nice deep breath in and bring your shoulders up to your ears. And then let them down with a loud hrumph sound. Another deep breath in, shoulders up and down with the outward breath. Completely supported in your chair. Feeling the connection to the earth. Feeling connected to the center . . .  the core of the earth. Your connection goes deep. We’re going to do a bit of exploration here. . . scanning memories. Sitting comfortably in…