Writing Prompt - Going Home Again

Flickr-SarahJane

They say you can't go back. But what if for some reason you have to? Create a character that left home 20 years ago, but needs to return. What was their reason for leaving? What brings them back? Who do they run into while they're there? And when it comes time to leave, are they ready to say goodbye?

Writing Prompt - Competition

Flickr-VivianChen

There seem to be more and more shows popping up on TV that have some sort of competition: singing, dancing, diving, romance, etc... Create a story that is based upon a competition. But think outside of the box and make your competition truly unique. What is the prize? What are the challenges? How do the players feel/ Are they excited, scared, nervous? Who is the winner? After all is said and done, does the winner feel it was worth it?

Writing Prompt - Brave Enough

What is one thing that you've always wanted to try, but have never had the guts to do it? Create a character that is brave enough to try it (maybe it's a funky haircut you've always wanted, or skydiving, or packing up and moving to a new city) and play the experience out through their point of view. Who knows, maybe when you're done, you'll be able to summon enough courage to try it yourself!

Writing Prompt - Fairy Tale

Write a story from the perspective of a character in a fairy tale. What secrets did this character keep out of the storybooks? What items are on their bucket list? Or perhaps you want to pick up from where the story stopped and write a new chapter in this character's life.

Writing Prompt - 6-Word Memior

Have you ever heard of the 6-word memoir? (read more here) This week, choose either your past self, present self, or future self and write a memoir for that stage of your life in only 6 words. Share yours with us! What's your mini memoir.

Writing Prompt - Write a Letter to Your Future Self

Photo by Darren Molon

Let's celebrate this last week of National Poetry Month with one more writing prompt. This week write a letter to your future self in the form of a poem (choose any form you like: free verse, Haiku, or perhaps even a sestina!) And as always, feel free to share your creations with us - post a comment below.

Writing Prompt - Tell the Weather ...

Photo from Robert Donovan

I think it's pretty safe to say that we're all sick of winter and we're ready for spring to finally arrive. This week, write a letter to the weather and let it know how you feel (or perhaps you'd rather address it to your favorite weather person). What frustrates you? What are you looking forward to? What smells do you miss the most? Describe the way newborn grass feels on your feet. In the spirit of National Poetry Month, try working some of these lines into a poem. Or, if you'd like to try something different, use one or more of your lines as a starting off point for a piece of flash fiction. So, what do you want to tell the weather?

Writing Prompt - Two Truths and One Lie

Have you ever played the game two truths and a lie? This week, write a poem inspired by that game in which you tell two things about yourself that are true and one that is made up. If you really feel daring, share your poems with us in the comments below. Think we can find the lie?

Writing Prompt - International Fake Journal Month (April)

To get your creative juices flowing, we'll be offering the occasional writing prompt. Grab a notebook or turn on your computer and start writing. Write! Write! And write more! 

Local MN artist Roz Stendahl is the creator of International Fake Journal Month, which means that for the month of April, you keep a journal from someone else's perspective. Create a character, write from the viewpoint of an animal, be anyone other than yourself - you just need to date your entries with the current date (you can't go back in time). See Roz's blog about the project to learn more about how it got started, her current prize incentives and how you can get involved: http://officialinternationalfakejournalblog.blogspot.com/

For this week's writing prompt, chose a character or point of view from which you'd like to write. Jot down some key facts about this person (where they live, how old they are, what their favorite food is, etc...) Have fun with it and let your imagination go wild! 

Are you participating in Roz's challenge? Check in with us and let us know how it's going! And if you're interested in getting together to share your work, let us know. We could even set up an open studio time to work on our journals. 

Writing Prompt - Conversations

To get your creative juices flowing, we'll be offering the occasional writing prompt. Grab a notebook or turn on your computer and start writing. Write! Write! And write more! 

Sit in a public place, such as a coffee shop, and jot down people's conversations. Listen for a while and capture several lines from a few different conversations. Then use those as either story starters or lines for poetry. Piece them together or use them all on their own.

Writing Prompt - Music

To get your creative juices flowing, we'll be offering the occasional writing prompt. Grab a notebook or turn on your computer and start writing. Write! Write! And write more! 

Listen to music - maybe your favorite song, maybe something new - and just listen at first, see where it takes you. What images does the music conjure in your mind? What is the scene? Are there people? If so, describe them, what they're wearing, what they're doing, what they're saying. Create a scene to match the song.