Sweet friends, for today’s installment of the #write28days challenge, prompted to write, I am having a look at the popular use of prompts in creative and freestyle writing.
Most days I don’t struggle for something to journal or blog about. I have the series I do regularly. And then posts like Currently and Sentence a Day that allow me to expound on things going on in my life. I think I have about a half-dozen draft posts that are ideas I started writing on but never published.
There’s the post about my Mom I want to write, the one about the business of being an influencer…something I am not. Stories about crazy days and tough seasons in my life. Hoping by doing this challenge, I can commit some of those to ‘paper,’ here.
Write28Days Prompts
But when I am stumped for something to write about, I am glad for prompts. Anita Ojeda provided prompts for each day of the #write28days challenge. And I have resorted to using them a couple of times already. Mostly because I didn’t want to try to hurry and write a post that deserves more time. Like the one about my mom. Writing to a prompt can be quicker and easier…when the prompt speaks to you. Here are the prompts for this writing challenge:
February 1: longing; February 2: ordinary; February 3: raft; February 4: nesting; February 5: sheep; February 6: ease; February 7: worthy; February 8: devastation; February 9: elegance; February 10: imperturbable; February 11: leave; February 12: caring; February 13: tattered; February 14: facts; February 15: entrap; February 16: voice; February 17: unique; February 18: useful; February 19: survive; February 20: bear; February 21: adapt; February 22: complacency; February 23: environment; February 24: unexpected; February 25: changing; February 26: created; February 27: taboo; February 28: tired
You may have read some of my recent posts using one of the prompts from above. This post was written to the prompt sheep. Another recent prompt was the word raft which rekindled memories of warm summer days. That was delightful to remember and write on. Read that post, here.
Why Write with Prompts
An anonymous Santa Claus gifted me a course through Hope*Writers about finding time to write. I am so grateful. When I was over on the Hope*Writers site, I came across this article about the benefit of using prompts. Here’s 3 reasons why using prompts can be helpful to aspiring writers.
- a prompt gives you a starting place for your writing: use the prompts as if they were questions being asked of you by a friend. And expound upon them from there. Prompts keep writers from wondering what to write about.
- prompts spark creativity: I found this to be true with the couple of prompts I have written to in the last week. It would not have occurred to me to write about sheep. But being given the word by Anita, I was able to just have fun with it. My essay isn’t anything too profound but I wouldn’t have thought to write about my family as my flock without being prompted to do so.
- writing to prompts encourages practice: kind of like riding a bike…the more we write the better we get. Responding to a prompt is probably not going to earn me a Nobel Prize for literature. But having opportunities to write more might!! Just like this #write28days challenge has gently forced me to sit down and write when I might be tempted to argue that I just don’t have time today. Prompt writing can be the training wheels to creative writing.
Over the weekend, I hope to get some posts written that aren’t created around a prompt. But I have to admit, using prompts has been fun and taken some of the pressure off of this #write28day challenge. And trying to think what to write. With a little free time on Saturday and Sunday – before the game, of course – I hope to put together some stories from my life. Stay tuned!!
Your Turn
Have you ever used prompts to inspire your writing? Fourth graders in the state of Texas are given a writing assessment in the spring. Part of the test is grammatical. But the other part of the test asks the students to respond to a prompt or scenario or storyline. For years, the prompts were very slanted in favor of children whose families traveled, visited new locations, had vacations. My students only traveled across the U.S.-Mexico border. Knew nothing of flying on a plane, vacationing on a beach, visiting an amusement park or touring a museum.
I think the prompts used now allow more imagination. I hope so anyway.
Off to bed. Thank you for the visit.
Hugs and kisses,
Leslie – A friend of mine got Story Worth and this post made me link you and that. here’s the link – https://new.storyworth.com/ Basically, you get a prompt once a week, and then at the end of the year, they bind the book of your stories. My friend’s children gave one to her and one to her husband (their dad) for Christmas. I thought you might find it interesting to do one for your kids.
Thank you for sharing this with me. I think I have seen it advertised. Love that you get the prompts bound into a book. That is very cool.
P.S. I bought the flourite bead bracelets. Should write about them. Thank you for the suggestion. Have been wearing them everyday!!