Writing Prompts
If you're like most of us, you occasionally run out of ideas
for writing, or you're searching for new "spectacles" through which to
see your life experience. One way to keep the juices flowing and to see
our experience in new ways is to use the writing prompts that are becoming
widely available, both in book form and on the internet. Here are some
internet sources:
You can also find prompts in such books as Room to Write: Daily Invitations to a Writer's Life, by Bonni Goldberg, or in journal books.
How to Use a Writing Prompt
Prompts are easy to use. Just set a timer for 6-8 minutes (or use a
favorite piece of music of about the same length) and free-write. Keep
your hand moving, don't stop to think or to edit, don't try to make stylistic
choices. Just write. The idea of a writing prompt is to generate
words and ideas that can later be polished (if you choose). It is "stream-of-consciousness"
writing that can help you to sneak past that writer's block.
Story Circle Writing Prompts
Here at Story Circle, we create writing prompts especially for women
who want to tell their stories. (Most writing prompts are gender-blind.)
If you are a member of our Internet Chapter (at $1 a month, membership
is a bargain!), you can subscribe free of charge to our "Women's Wise Words
and a Week's Worth of Writing Prompts." Each Monday, we'll send you a woman's
wise words--a quotation that we like--and enough prompts to keep you busy
all week. By the end of the week, you'll have a coherent collection
of life writings, all related to a single topic.
Want an example? Back in June, 2000, we used Susan Bucher's quotation (see "True Words," above) and created this writing prompt:
Most of us haven't won the Iditarod, but we have all been winners, in large and small ways. Use your writing time this week to create a personal achievement history. From each period of your life (childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, the middle years, the later years) write down your equivalent of the Iditarod. What did you do? How hard did you have to fight? Against what odds? What victory did you win? How have these victories helped to define your story? As you write, remind yourself of Susan's words: "I did it because I am capable, and women are capable."Each of our writing prompts, like this one, is designed to keep you writing, not just for one short session, but for seven short sessions, all on the same topic and from different angles and different periods of your life. You could keep a special notebook specifically for these prompts and for your daily writing (or a special file on your computer). You'll be amazed at the amount of writing you'll do, and at the return on your investment of just a few moments a day!
We're proud of these unique prompts, which are carefully chosen with
women life-writers in mind, and we'd like to share them with you. To subscribe,
simply join Story Circle and our Internet Chapter (if you haven't already!).
On the Internet Chapter tool bar, click on "Women's Wise Words and A Week's
Worth of Writing Prompts." You'll also find an archive on the site, with
a year's worth of writing prompts (just in case you need even more prompting!)
--Susan Wittig Albert