Writing Prompts

Choose one of the subjects below:
• A photograph you carry with you
• An encounter with a bully
• Your first French kiss
• A favorite/dreaded outfit from childhood
• The first time you had lobster (or _____________)
• A moment in the kitchen when you were a child
• Your childhood closet
• The first time you learned to cook
• An encounter with an insect
• Your first job
• A feared teacher
• An encounter with an animal
• A moment from your elementary school playground
• One time in the cafeteria
• The worst job you’ve ever had
• A love note that went wrong
• The basement

Now, write a short piece. Focus on one specific moment. Be sure the moment’s meaningful to you, and that it makes you wonder. As you write, try to think like a camera. Zoom in on the important details. Pan the scene. Record the important bits of dialogue. Focus on what’s essential and describe it. In other words, show don’t tell. Allow yourself to write wide open. Don’t start writing and drive it to a pre-planned ending. Write to see where you end up. Write to explore a question. Write to be surprised.

Oh, and include the following details, if you can:

1. Name of the street/town/place where the moment happened
2. The time-frame (1980s, the summer when I was almost six, etc.)
3. A vivid description of the place/scene. Show, don’t tell – What did the walls look like? What did the floor look like? Put yourself back in the moment and look around. Describe everything you see/hear/touch/taste/smell.
4. At least two descriptions that rely on senses other than visual. (Taste, touch, hear, smell details)
5. At least one character/person other than yourself. Be sure to name and describe this person (you can use a pseudonym, if you’d like). This person should be central to your memory and should be someone you had/have strong feelings – either positive or negative or a blend of both) – about.
6. At least one unexpected sensory description -- a metaphor/simile that describes a sunset by using the sense of smell, for instance.
7. A few lines of dialogue.
8. A song, TV show or a movie that was popular when this moment happened
9. Something that was happening in the world/in the news at the time
10. A vivid description of yourself in the moment. What clothes might you have worn? How did you wear your hair? What kinds of things were you likely to do back then? What was your favorite food?
11. One question that you’d like to try to answer about the moment (you don’t have to answer it here)