Orville Wright's Birthday Writing Prompt

"We were lucky enough to grow up in an environment where there was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectual interests; to investigate whatever aroused curiosity."  -Orville Wright

Today it is Orville Wright's birthday.  He and his brother Wilbur launched the first successful flight of a "flying machine" in 1903.  His quote above is about his childhood and curiosity.

Do you remember making inventions when you were a child?  What did you learn from exploring curiosity?

For your creative writing prompt today, free-write for 10 minutes about your memories of your childhood curiosity.

After your free-write, take the subject and develop a short creative nonfiction piece, or a short story based on the theme, or a poem.  

Creative Writing Prompts: To Be a River

Happy Poetry Month! 

It is my pleasure to kick off National Poetry Month with a special treat of a poem and a photo.  Take a few minutes to soak in the beauty, and you'll find your prompts below.  There are four prompts today so that they will give you lots of writing ideas to get through the weekend.

 Photo by Susan Hering (Madison, WI)



To Be a River by Susan Elbe

In late March on gray days

when the water runs like glass,

I want to be a river

birds hover over

as if preening in a mirror,

the weightless shadows

of their wings kissing back.

When the melt is running high

and winter races down, away,

I want to be a river,

to reshape myself again,

and yet again, coming

and going easily between

rip and reach, torrent and strand.

When ice still crazes at the edges

thin as burned-out velvet,

I want to be a river, a scarf

of light visible from far away,

a landmark for return,

offering dark birds, silver fish

from my drifting, silted hand.

"To be a River" first appeared in Wisconsin Trails Magazine (March/April 2004) 

This is reprinted with the author's permission.

Today's Prompts

I hope you enjoyed the poem by Susan Elbe and the photo by Susan Hering.  Today's writing prompts are inspired by both.

Poetry Writing Prompt:  Susan connected with the river in her beautiful poem.  Your assignment is to write a first daft of a  poem  in twenty minutes that connects with nature.  Your working title will be "To be a ______."  (You put in something from nature in the blank.)  After you write the first draft, change the title to something else. 

Fiction Writing Prompts: 

1.  Focus on the scene in today's photo for at least a minute.  Start a story from this scene.

2.  Story starters: 

a.  As she looked up at the dogwood tree, she remembered. . .

b.  The river reminded him of the scarf she was wearing when. . .

Journal Prompt:  Reflect on what memories the word
"river" triggers for you.  Start your journal entry:  

When I think of rivers, I think of. . .

Today's writing inspiration is possible thanks to the generosity of Susan Elbe and Susan Hering.  Thank you, ladies! 

Susan Elbe is the author of Eden in the Rearview Mirror (Word Press) and a chapbook, Light Made from Nothing (Parallel Press). Her poems appear or are forthcoming in many journals and anthologies, including Blackbird, diode, MARGIE, North American Review, Salt Hill, and A Fierce Brightness: Twenty-five Years of Women's Poetry (Calyx Books). Among her awards are the inaugural Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize (Calyx), the Council for Wisconsin Writers Lorine Niedecker Award, and fellowships to Vermont Studio Center and Virginia Center for Creative Arts. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin. You can learn more about her at .http://www.susanelbe.com/.



Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by a Mix of Tennessee Williams and Elizabeth Taylor

This picture is from CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, the play by Tennessee Williams.  And you will see Elizabeth Taylor who starred in the movie version which Williams "despised."  Because it is the anniversary of the play's debut in 1955, and because we just lost Elizabeth Taylor yesterday, well that's why the prompts are what they are today.  And you don't need to know the play to do the prompts, so here they are:

Prompt 1:  A line from the show spoken by the character Mae is "It was the punch bowl, Honey, the cut-glass punch bowl."

Write from the prompt:  Cut-glass punch bowl.

Prompt 2:  The character Dr. Baugh says, " Sometimes I wish I had a pill to make people disappear."

If you had a pill that could make anything you wanted to disappear, what would it be and why?  Write about it.

Prompt 3:  Here is a quote by Tennessee Williams:

"When I stop working the rest of the day is posthumous. I'm only really alive when I'm writing."

Write about how writing makes you feel alive.  This could be a short essay or a poem.

Fiction Prompt: 

And Tennessee Williams also said, "Luck is believing you're lucky."

Start a story where a character finds some kind of good luck charm and write how good luck comes along to help your character solve the conflict her or she is facing.

Poetry Prompt:

One of my favorite quotes by Williams is from his play STREET CAR NAMED DESIRE.  It is spoken by Blanche, and Elizabeth Taylor played Blanche in the movie version of this famous show.

"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." 

Write a poem in third person about an act of kindness.

Creative Writing Prompts: Titles from Random Words

Today we are going to have a little fun making titles out of random words.

Here is your random word collection I would like you to use today:

beetles, blueberries, tumble, Dixie cup, mud pit, fist-sized, twirl, change, drain, carnivorous, yell, stairwell, pears, doubts, dance, garbage can, blue, cliff, look back, reemerge, triumph, worse, news

And here are today's "rules."  However, please not that my MAJOR rule is that you can use the rules as a guidelines, but I won't send out the rule check cops if you break a rule.  So long as you come up with some writing, I'm happy.

1.  Make interesting titles out of the random words.  Please try to use a minimum of 3 words from the group in each title, and you can use two other words that are not here if you want to. (Words like "a, and, like, the, etc." don't count, and yes, you can makes things singular, plural, etc.)

2.  You should create a minimum of 5 titles.

3.  You will pick one of your titles as a prompt to start a story, poem, or piece of creative nonfiction. 

Here are some examples of titles from these random words:  


Sometimes My Doubts Tumble Like Garbage Cans

The Mystery of the Pears and the Mud Pit

And here is one request:

Please submit some of your titles in the comments section if you are up to sharing.  It might inspire someone else to write something from your idea, and we're here to inspire, encourage and support each other.  You are also free to post what you write, too. 

And if you don't like this prompt, then your other option is to write from the gorgeous picture, courtesy of Dreamstime.com.  Today's picture is a castle in Edinburgh. 

For another way to use these random words as writing practice, check out the blog from a couple of weeks ago by clicking on the link below.
http://promptsforwriters.blogspot.com/2011/03/random-words.html

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

Today's Creative Writing Prompt Salutes The Scarlet Letter

Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.  -Nathaniel Hawthorne

 

On March 16, 1850, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published.

Writing Prompts for Today:

Creative Nonfiction:  Think of something you have done, whether right or wrong, that has displeased someone greatly.  If you were to wear a scarlet letter because of what you have done, what letter would it be?  What did you do to deserve that scarlet letter?  Write about it.  Consider being overly dramatic or sarcastic.

  Possible start:  I deserve the scarlet letter H for Honesty. . .

Poetry:  Going off of Nathaniel Hawthorne's quote above, write a poem with ten lines that starts with this line:

Time always leaves its shadow on. . .

  

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."

In Memory of Sylvia Beach

Upon reading the Writer's Almanac today, I learned that it is the birthday of book publisher Sylvia Beach, who ran a lending library in France during World War II.  To learn more about Sylvia Beach, please read the Writer's Almanac at this link:


http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/

I like Ernest Hemmingway's description of Sylvia Beach.  It is quoted from The Writer's Almanac as this:

"Sylvia had a lively, sharply sculptured face, brown eyes that were as alive as a small animal's and as gay as a young girl's, and wavy brown hair that was brushed back from her fine forehead and cut thick below her ears and at the line of the collar of the brown velvet jacket she wore. She had pretty legs and she was kind, cheerful and interested, and loved to make jokes and gossip. No one that I ever knew was nicer to me."

Writing Practice Prompt:  Think of someone you know and write a short description like the paragraph above.  Or create a new character starting with a paragraph similar to the one above.  Notice that there is one comparison to an animal (Hemmingway observes "brown eye's that were alive as a small animal's," but you can pick a specific animal for comparing one aspect of the person to).  Make sure you describe something about what the character might wear, and put in a personality trait (like "make jokes and gossip").  And of course, add in anything else you would like.



Poetry Prompt: FIRST write out a paragraph like instructed above.  Then make it into a poem, just a simple poem that describes someone, but try to make the last line surprising.

Prompt in Honor of International Women's Day

When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die. -- Eleanor Roosevelt

Because it is International Women's Day, I offer the quote above from Eleanor Roosevelt as our daily creative writing prompt. 

Key word:  Contribution

Personal Reflection Prompt:  What kind of non monetary contribution, big or small, would you like to make in the future? Why?

Fiction Prompt:  Invent a story about a character who is on a mission to make a contribution to someone or a cause through his or her actions.  What is the contribution?  Why does your character want to do this?  What conflicts does your character encounter when trying to do this? How do they get resolved?

Essay:  Write a short essay of 500 words or less about if you agree with the quote or not and state why you do or don't agree.

Poetry Prompt:  Write a poem about a contribution the universe is giving you today.  Maybe it is the gift of sunlight, time with a friend, the discovery of something beautiful, etc.