Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by Joy Harjo

Happy Weekend, Dear Writers!

I have a great guest prompter lined up for you next week, but this Friday, looks like you get me again.  I hope you are enjoying the blog and the prompts.  Please let me know if you know of any artists or writers who want to contribute to inspiring others because I would love to feature them.

I came across this FABULOUS poem by Joy Harjo that is online at the The Writer's Almanac.  Please go to the poem "Perhpas the World Ends Here" by Joy Harjo.  Read the poem 3 times.  Yes, that's right, 3 times.

After you read the poem, take some silence just to think.  Reflect on tables you sat at during family gatherings over the years.  Or even just your own every day table.  What memories are sparked?  For your creative nonfiction prompt, please write on the subject of table memories for 10 minutes. 

For your poetry writing prompt, write an ode to a table from your life, a specific table. 

And for your fiction writing prompt, practice dialogue.  Think of a conversation from a kitchen table, or make one up.  Write a dialogue with a little conflict.  Use your relatives for character inspiration. 

Happy Writing and have a great weekend everyone!

Love to all,

Anjie

Creative Writing Prompts with Swings

Now that summer has arrived, there are a lot of swings swinging in full motion.  I love swings.   I have many childhood memories from under the maple tree where a simple wooden swing kept my little sister and I entertained for hours.  In between my living room and entrance room hangs a blue hammock chair swing that brings joy and peace to my little boy.  I always longed for a porch swing, but instead I have two gliders outside in the garden where I can enjoy sweet moments with my family.  Before we begin our writing prompts today, please enjoy the poem "The Swing," by Robert Louis Stevenson.  You'll find your writing prompts below the poem. 

The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside-

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown-
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

Warm-up:  Before you begin your creative writing prompts, take a few moments to reflect on different swings from your life and make a list of all the memorable swings you have ever encountered and where they were. 

Creative Nonfiction Prompt:  Write a memory about a swing from your past.  Think about who you played with, what you might have worn as you played, and what feelings you had.  Write for as long as you'd like.

Poetry Prompt:  Write a poem about one of the swings from your list. 

Fiction Writing Prompt:  Look at the picture below and dream up two characters who are coming to this swing to have a conversation.  Write out their conversation as dialogue practice.  OR You can use two characters from a story or novel you have been working on. 

Creative Writing Prompts About Feelings

BEAUTIFUL GIRL DISSATISFIED
© Willgame | Dreamstime.com

For today's creative writing prompts, I would like everyone to look at the picture and write down what you think the girl might be feeling, and/or what she might be thinking in her head. (Examples:  I can't believe she did that to me! OR What am I going to do now?) Write for about two minutes. 

Creative Writing Prompts

1.  Creative Nonfiction Prompt:

Have you ever felt any of the emotions from the list?  Write about it.


2.  Fiction Writing Prompt:  Write the scene about what happened to the girl before the picture.

OR

Dialogue Practice:  Write a scene about the girl and someone else coming into the picture to ask her, "What's wrong?"  Use one of the phrases from your list to get you started.  Write about a page of dialogue for writing practice. 

3.  Poetry Writing Prompts: 

Pick an emotion or phrase from your list and write a poem of 15 lines or less with that theme.

OR

Write a poem of 15 lines or less about how you are feeling right now.

A Room From Your Past

Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by Ted Kooser:

A Room From Your Past

Today we are going to be thinking not of houses from our past, but rooms.  Start by making a list of 10 or more rooms you remember from your past.   They don't need to be places you lived in; they could be rooms in places you visited, a cottage you might have stayed at, a hospital room, a room from a school, etc.  

After you make your list, and only after you make your list, read Ted Kooser's poem, "A Room in the Past." 

Here are some simple reflections and study questions to help you take in the poem and notice how it works:

Study Guide and Questions to "A Room in the Past" by Ted Kooser. 

1.  Notice how everything describing the poem is concrete until you get to line 5.  What is abstract about line 5?

2.  Look at lines 9 & 10.  There are phrases of time in both.  In line 9, it is "just" to imply something had just happened, but what is the time phrase in line 10? 

3.  Look in lines 13 and 14 and notice how Kooser brings the outside into the room.  What three words are things that are from nature?

4.  On line 14, the poet makes a personal connection by mentioning someone. Who is it?  Why do you think the poet mentions this toward the end of the poem?

5.  In lines 15 - 17, a supernatural and abstract concept are combined.  Then the poem is finished off with a very concrete image, which brings it all to life and makes it all real.  What is the concrete image?

6.  How many adjectives are in the poem?  You will notice there aren't many and they aren't fancy.  Remember, don't overdo adjectives and adverbs in your poems.  Be aware of every one you use to make sure it is truly adding to the poem and moving it along. 

7.  Notice how in line 3, Kooser uses the word "you" to draw the audience in.  Do you think this is effective?


Poetry Prompts:  

1.  Pick a room from your list and work on a poem that includes some elements of nature and/or the supernatural.  Address the audience as "you" in the early part of the poem, just like Kooser did.  Bring a person into the poem (and that person can be you), but not until the poem is at least half way finished.

OR

2.  Write a poem that ends with  "Turning his/her back on the rest of us, forever."  When you are finished, you may want to rewrite your last line so it is not exactly like Kooser's last line, but for now, use it as your guide. 

Fiction Prompt:

1.  Write a story that takes place in one of the rooms from your list.  Add an element of the supernatural to your story.  Write a minimum of 300 words. 

OR

2.  Write a story that starts with an opening scene in the kitchen from the picture. 

Creative Nonfiction:

Write a memory about one of the rooms on your list.  Write a minimum of 300 words.

Walt Whitman Creative Writing Prompts

Happy Birthday to Walt Whitman!  You can read a wonderful article about Walt Whitman at today's Writer's Almanac. 

In honor of Walt Whitman's birthday, our creative writing prompts will be inspired by a couple of his many thought-provoking quotes.

Creative Nonfiction Prompt: 

"Have you learned the lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed passage with you?"

Write an essay about someone who "braced themselves against you" or "disputed passage with you" and what you learned from that. 

Poetry Prompt:

"A morning glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books."

Write a poem about things in nature that give you pleasure.  You can make a list poem of many things, or you can focus on one or two things.  If you choose to write about two things, try to tie them together in some way.  

You can read more Walt Whitman quotes here:  

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/walt_whitman.html#ixzz1Nvqf8RsN

Creative Writing Prompts: Tunnel Under a Railway

Photo credit:  This photo is by Peter Guess and it is titled "Tunnel Under Railway."  It is a a tunnel under the Cumbrian West Coast line near Dalston, Carlisle, Cumbria, UK.  Many thanks to the photographer and to Dreamstime for making the photo available. 


Fiction Writing Prompt

Study the picture and start a short story where two people meet under this tunnel.  Focus on dialogue and let us see who the characters are through the dialogue.  

Creative Nonfiction Prompt

Do you have any memories connected to tunnels or railways?  Explore the theme of tunnels and/or railways in your writing. 

Poetry Writing Prompt

Explore the theme of tunnels or railways in a poem. 

A Hilltop in Italy

On this day back in 1886, the first batch of Coca-Cola was brewed in Gerogia in John Pemberton's backyard.  This commercial is from 1971 when young people assembled together on a hilltop in Italy to sing out for the Coca-Cola company.  Does anybody out there remember? 

Okay, so I will admit, this made me a bit teary. 

In honor of this being Coca-Cola's birthday, your prompts are based on beverages today.

Poetry Prompt:  Write an ode to your favorite beverage.

Fiction Prompt:  What is your character's favorite beverage?  What out a scene about a character's memory  that is associated with the beverage. 

Creative Nonfiction Prompt:  Believe it or not, my first publication was not poetry.  It was a piece of creative nonfiction I wrote in college called "Coke Girls."  It was based on memories of drinking Coca-Cola with my best friend at our neighbors' house.  Our neighbors were an elderly couple who served us Cokes and had wonderful conversations with us on their back porch.  Do you have memories of sharing visits while drinking something?  Write about one.

Bach with Sea Creative Writing Prompt

Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach!

In honor of Bach's birthday, I am sharing a Bach Forever by the Sea video for your writing pleasure.

Free Write Prompt: Enjoy writing to the music, and you can also pause this video if you would like to freeze an image and write from that.

Poetry Prompt: Write a short poem about the sea.

Creative Nonfiction Prompt: Write about a seaside memory.

Fiction Prompt: Lenny loved collecting shells. Every morning he would walk down to the seashore. . .

Here's to Ireland! A Happy St. Patrick's Day Writing Prompt

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-abandoned-school-rimagefree538780-resi3181942

This abandoned school house picture was taken in Ireland by Thierry Maffeis.   Thank you, Theirry, and Dreamstime.com, for sharing beautiful images like this with the world.

Dear Readers,

In honor of St.Patrick's Day, I offer these traditional Irish blessings to you along with a few writing prompt options below.

Enjoy!

**************************
May brooks and trees and singing hills
Join in the chorus too,
And every gentle wind that blows
Send happiness to you.


**************




Hills as green as emeralds
Cover the countryside
Lakes as blue as sapphires-
And Ireland’s special pride
And rivers that shine like silver
Make Ireland look so fair-
But the friendliness of her people
Is the richest treasure there.


****************




May brooks and trees and singing hills
Join in the chorus too,
And every gentle wind that blows
Send happiness to you.




********************


Prompts for Today:


Poetry:  Write a little blessing.  It doesn't have to rhyme.  It can be a "Spring Blessing," or "Peace Blessing," or anything you want.


Writing Practice:  If you were to find something at the end of the rainbow that you really need that is NOT money or gold, what would you like it to be?  Write about it.


Other prompt options: 


1.  Use the picture as your prompt and go where your pen takes you. 


2.  Write from one of the following phrases:


pot o' gold
abandoned school house
singing hills

March Moonlight Writing Prompt

Below is a beautiful relaxation video with moon pictures and other relaxing images of a peaceful earth.  Enjoy it while you write.

Fiction Prompt:  Put your character in moonlight and write a scene where the character reflects on his or her conflict.

Creative Nonfiction Prompt:  Write about a memory of moonlight and what you remember in the moonlight.

Poetry Prompt: Write a poem of 12 lines or less that takes place in moonlight.  However, nowhere in the poem or title will you mention the words "moon" or "light."