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 was drawn to the shelves filled with orange color. Could it be?  Could my autumn garland be in Raley’s?  Eureka! I bought four garlands of golden brown autumn leaves laced with twinkling lights.  Twinkling lights! And autumn leaves. I’m in heaven.

It’s the small things that make life a big, wonderful, full event. Embrace life. Enjoy Autumn! Savor each special moment, no matter how small or big, how simple or wondrous. Embrace whatever or whoever brings you joy.

Prompt: Write about your favorite season.

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 your chair, scan your relatives for the person who affected you the least.

Now, a relative who affected you the most.

What are some of the emotions that came up for you?

Which relative affected you in a way that surprised you?

Prompt:  Write about that relative and a time that holds deep emotions for you.

 How to write without adding trauma is a Write Spot Blog post from July 2013. You might want to read this before writing about difficult experiences.

Have you ever noticed the names of paint colors? They are so creative. . . they could be wonderful writing prompts.

Writing Idea: Keep a file folder of phrases to inspire your writing. These could be phrases that someone else wrote. They could be snippets you wrote to be used in future writing.

This folder can also contain lists like these names for  paint colors. You never know when or how you might want to use them. You might find a unique name for a character.

Or a fabulous name for: a fictional town, a store, a street name, a pet.

My favorite:  Amethyst reflection . .  . I can imagine using this to refer to eye color.

Aqua Rapids

Bubble Turquoise

California Chamois

China White

Cloud Nine Blue

Crystal Clear White

Deco Red

Festival Green

Fiesta Rojo

Fire Roasted

Fitzgerald Smoke

Frank Llyod White

French Silver

Inness Sage

Innocent White

Jacobean Lace

Kissable Pink

Lime Freckle

Minstrel Rose

Moon Doggie

Moroccan Ruby

Orchid Blush

Prague Purple

Racy Red

Red Hot Jazz

Royal Cranberry

Salisbury Stone

Seville Scarlet

Silver Blue Sea

Spiced Berry

Movies can be a wonderful inspiration for writing. I recently saw the movie, Sully. Even though I knew how it ended, I was teary-eyed. I was filled with emotion at how people helped one another. Director Clint Eastwood did an amazing job of telling the right amount of backstory and the right amount of Sully’s personal life. The focus was on the people involved . . . the human interest story.  There were lines of dialogue that were exquisite.

When using a movie as an inspiration for writing, you can write about the theme or mood of the story, a line of dialogue, a memorable scene, whatever interests you.

Write about:

A road trip. Thelma and Louise

How you learned to dance. Dirty Dancing

A time you were tricked, or you tricked someone. The Sting, two con men outcon a con.

Write about a detour you have taken.

Or write about a detour someone you know has taken.